After Maliki, Barak meets with Sudani and talks about “stability in Iraq”.
After Maliki, Barak meets with Sudani and talks about “stability in Iraq”.
2026-02-27 08:45
Shafaq News – Baghdad
On Friday, outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani discussed with US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack bilateral relations between Iraq and the United States, the general situation and developments in the region, and the importance of sparing Iraq from their repercussions.
Sudani’s office said in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency that “the latter received Tom Barrack, who conveyed the viewpoint of US President Donald Trump, and his vision of the current situation in the region, and Iraq’s pivotal role in building stability and promoting regional development.”
According to the statement, Al-Sudani explained that “the Iraqi national leadership is committed to prioritizing the national interest and making efforts to protect the interests of the Iraqi people and the supreme strategic interests for which Iraqis have made the greatest sacrifices,” noting that “Iraq’s sovereignty and stability in various fields are not merely local considerations, but rather fundamental pillars of regional balance.”
The statement indicated that “the meeting witnessed a review of views on resolving the region’s problems, the importance of resorting to dialogue and diplomatic channels, abandoning escalation, in addition to the importance of economic development as a path to reducing tensions and the accompanying promotion of sustainable stability in the region.”
This meeting came after the US envoy met with Nouri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition and the coordinating framework’s candidate for the Iraqi premiership.
A statement from al-Maliki’s office said that during the meeting with Tom Barrack, he stressed the importance of “supporting the democratic process and strengthening political stability, emphasizing the need to respect Iraq’s sovereignty and the choices of its people, while the continuation of communication and coordination between the two sides on files of common interest was emphasized.”
According to the statement, Barak also pointed to “the importance of the role that Iraq plays in the process of resolving the region’s problems, reducing the intensity of the conflict, supporting dialogue, and fighting terrorism.”
These talks come at a time when the political forces that won the elections in late 2025 are seeking to resolve the issue of candidates for the positions of President of the Republic and Council of Ministers, and to proceed with the procedures for forming the new government, steps which are legally known as the postponed “constitutional entitlements”.
This comes as the United States, last Tuesday, gave the Shiite Coordination Framework a deadline, ending today, Friday, to withdraw the nomination of State of Law Coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki for the position of Prime Minister, according to what an official source in the framework told Shafaq News Agency.
He added that “Al-Maliki has informed the framework that he does not intend to withdraw his nomination at all, and he told them that the two-thirds who nominated Al-Maliki should withdraw the nomination and he does not object to that, and this is the closest thing to the scene in the next few days.”
The “coordination framework,” which includes ruling Shiite political forces in Iraq, is witnessing a division over the nomination of Maliki for the next government, amid American warnings of the repercussions of his selection, which prompted forces within the coalition to try to persuade him to withdraw in order to preserve the unity of the framework.
shafaq.com
