Al-Sudani plans to visit Washington: Reconsidering the US military presence in Iraq
Al-Sudani plans to visit Washington: Reconsidering the US military presence in Iraq
1-7-2023
Thursday, two Iraqi officials in Baghdad told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Prime Minister Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani plans to conduct an official visit to Washington during the coming period, at the head of a large ministerial delegation from his government.
While they indicated that he is coordinating this file with the US embassy in the capital, Baghdad, which has not yet responded with a clear position on this matter, it is likely that the reason for this is waiting for the US administration to know the directions of the new government formed by the “Coordination Framework” coalition, which is supported by Tehran.
Iraqi official: Al-Sudani received the approval of the coordination framework to visit Washington
Al-Sudani’s upcoming visit to Washington is a protocol procedure used by all successive Iraqi heads of government after 2003, in the first months of their assumption of power. However, Al-Sudani’s visit, in his capacity as the head of a government emanating from a political alliance, declared on more than one occasion his opposition to the United States and work to remove its military presence from the country, may take it out of its usual context this time, especially since the files of Al-Sudani, which he wants to carry to Washington, will not be American accepted.
Al-Sudani, whose government was voted on by parliament on October 27 last year, put forward a broad security, service and political program, the most prominent of which was holding early elections within one year, resolving the file of the displaced and depopulated cities controlled by militias allied to Iran, and improving relations with countries. Neighborhood, and being careful not to engage in the politics of axes in the region.
However, doubts are growing about the extent to which he has fulfilled his promises, after a series of measures that contributed to the escalation of the influence of armed groups within state institutions, by naming figures affiliated with them, especially in the National Security and Intelligence Services, and the Ministries of Defense and Interior.
Arab reports
Iraq: The return of calls to end the missions of the American forces,
and this matter may be the first source of concern for the United States in the way of dealing with the ninth Iraqi government since the American invasion of the country in 2003, in addition to questioning the eligibility of the current parliament, after the withdrawal of the first winner in the elections, which is the Sadrist movement After the pressures he was subjected to during his attempt to form a majority government.
Two Iraqi officials in Baghdad, one of them in the prime minister’s office, confirmed that Al-Sudani “plans to visit the United States at the head of a large ministerial and security delegation, to discuss a number of files, on top of which is security.”
The approval of the “coordinating framework” for the visit
The official in the prime minister’s office explained that Al-Sudani “got the approval of the coordination framework for the visit before moving towards the US ambassador to Baghdad, Alina Romanowski, who in turn did not clarify any position regarding the visit’s arrangements or timing.”
For his part, the other, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Iraqi parliament, who asked not to be named, confirmed in a phone call to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Al-Sudani wants to discuss “the file of the American military presence in Iraq.”
He explained, “The coordination framework seeks to renegotiate and cancel an agreement that took place during the government of Mustafa Al-Kazemi that transformed the status of the American forces from combat to an advisory force inside Iraq, and pushes towards ending the entire American military human presence.” Instead, it will be an agreement related to assisting Iraq in other military fields, including providing it with arms and ammunition.
He pointed out that “political parties inside Iraq have reservations about this approach, such as the Kurdistan Region, which sees the American presence at the Harir Air Base, north of Erbil, as a necessity for the security of the region.” He said, “The available information confirms that there is no obstacle for the prime minister to go to Washington, but so far the timing has not been determined.”
In his latest remarkable position, Al-Sudani criticized the former US administration, regarding the killing of the leader of the “Quds Force” Qassem Soleimani, whom he described as a “guest of Iraq”, with the deputy leader of the “Popular Mobilization Forces” Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, in the American raid on January 3. January 2020.
And he said, during a memorial ceremony in Baghdad sponsored by the “Popular Mobilization Forces,” last Thursday, that “the previous US administration’s doing this act is a flagrant assault on Iraqi territory and sovereignty.” However, Al-Sudani avoided the method used by other Iraqi officials and politicians in attacking the United States and its policy in Iraq, as he focused on criticizing the administration of former President Donald Trump only.
In this context, the leader of the Coordination Framework coalition, Mahmoud al-Hayani, confirmed, in an interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that there is an upcoming visit by Al-Sudani to Washington, but he also confirmed that “no date has been set for it yet, and it is within the framework of diplomatic coordination.”
He discussed the file of the American presence in Iraq , and al
-Hayani added, “The most prominent files that al-Sudani will discuss in Washington is the file of the American presence in Iraq.
He continued, “The forces of the coordination framework, and the armed factions, do not oppose having diplomatic relations with the United States of America based on respect for sovereignty. Iraq needs relations with Washington in the field of economy, investment, and even security and military expertise, but according to agreements that respect Iraq’s sovereignty and prevent any interference in its internal affairs.” political or otherwise.
The removal of the American forces is an Iranian demand,
but a member of the Iraqi Civil Movement, Hussein al-Sheikhly, considered that the return of the demands for the removal of the American forces from Iraq is “an Iranian demand, and the Iraqis have nothing to do with it.”
Al-Sheikhly added, to The New Arab, that “the Americans may respond to any new pressures or demands, but this will be at the expense of a new isolation of Iraq. The Iraqis will gradually find themselves surrounded by a number of measures and decisions that are economically harmful to them.
Hussein Al-Sheikhly: The return of the demands to remove the American forces from Iraq is an Iranian demand
On the other hand, the head of the “Iraqi Center for Strategic Studies,” Ghazi Faisal, considered, “Al-Sudani’s upcoming visit to Washington is a matter of protocol, which all previous heads of government worked on, and this visit is always devoid of any real practical agreements, and it is only limited to discussing some files.” common, especially the security ones.
Faisal suggested that Al-Sudani’s upcoming visit to Washington would be devoid of “a discussion of the new escalation by the armed factions, as well as some forces close to Tehran against the Americans in Iraq, especially with the passage of the third anniversary of the assassination of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis.” There will be direct American messages to Al-Sudani to stop these threats, to prevent any American reactions against those parties at the military level or to impose sanctions.”
And he talked about “pressures exerted on Al-Sudani by armed factions, in addition to political forces within the coordination framework regarding his movement towards the file of the American presence in the country, but Al-Sudani is aware of the danger of opening this file now, and for this he is working to postpone the presentation of this file, until after his visit to Washington.” But the pressure on him is too great.”
And Iraq had officially announced the transformation of the tasks of the American forces into advisory ones on December 31, 2021, within the agreement signed between the two countries, with a number not exceeding two thousand soldiers.
These forces are located in three main locations in Iraq, namely the “Ain al-Assad” base, located 130 kilometers from the city of Ramadi, the center of Anbar Governorate, in the west of the country, and the “Harir” base, north of Erbil, within the Kurdistan region of Iraq, along with the “Victoria” camp. “Adjacent to Baghdad Airport, in which there is a task unit and intelligence analysis, in addition to the American embassy in central Baghdad.
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