Iraq: The ruling coalition is disturbed by Barzani’s visit to Washington

Iraq: The ruling coalition is disturbed by Barzani’s visit to Washington

01 March 2024

The visit of the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, Masrour Barzani , to the United States of America, which has been ongoing for 5 days, and which witnessed successive meetings with American officials, raises clear discomfort on the part of the ruling coalition in Baghdad, the “coordination framework”, especially since it came before the visit of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Muhammad Shia. Sudanese to Washington, coinciding with the escalation of several controversial issues between Erbil and Baghdad.

Since last Sunday, Barzani arrived in Washington on an official visit, which the regional government said came at the request of Washington, as he held successive meetings with American officials.

Barzani’s meetings and the hospitality he received from the American side indicate the importance of the visit, especially as it comes at a sensitive time in relations between Baghdad and Washington, amid attempts to end the presence of the international coalition in Iraq, in response to pressure exerted by the Iraqi factions and forces allied with Tehran.

In this context, the official of the Information Department of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Jutiar Adel, confirmed in successive statements that Barzani is discussing important files with the American side, and that he is holding a number of meetings in Washington, where he discussed with American officials regarding relations between Erbil and Baghdad, and the necessity of supporting the federal system. And the rights of the region, as stated in the Iraqi Constitution.

He added: “Barzani met with a number of members of the US Congress, and thanked the United States for its support and assistance to the Kurdistan region. The focus was on the necessity of maintaining security and stability in the region, implementing the constitution, and ensuring the constitutional rights of the Kurdish people,” noting that “he was one of the most prominent Topics of the meeting: discussing the situation of Christians in the Nineveh Plain, and the violation of the rights of the Kurdistan sects by the Federal Court.

He stressed that “the two sides stressed the importance of protecting the rights of the components and developing a culture of peaceful coexistence among the various components in the Kurdistan region.”

Baghdad did not officially comment on Barzani’s visit, but officials in the Baghdad government confirmed that the government and the leaders of the ruling coalition, the Coordination Framework, were disturbed by the visit.

Barzani holds meetings in Washington: Controversial issues between Erbil and Baghdad
In this context, a prominent member of Parliament from the “coordination framework” told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, on condition of anonymity, today, Friday, that “political forces support summoning Barzani to Baghdad to discuss with him the reason for the visit and the files that were discussed in accordance with the federal authority granted to the government.” And the Iraqi Parliament.

He explains that “the program of the visit and the files that Barzani carried to Washington for discussion are not known to the Baghdad government, and that the government only learned of its events from the media,” noting that “the government and important political leaders are disturbed by the visit, and there is concern about the possibility of Barzani discussing sensitive files related to the main government, including The file for ending the role of the international coalition in Iraq, and files related to the relationship between Baghdad and Washington, as well as the decisions of the Iraqi Federal Court regarding the regional government.”

The source believes that “there are certain files that cannot be discussed with Washington except by the central government in Baghdad.”

The leaders of the “Coordination Framework” coalition did not hide their concern about the visit, but they dealt with it unofficially, through statements and blogs on “X”. In this context, the representative of the “State of Law” coalition led by Nouri al-Maliki, Alia Nassif, said, “Barzani’s visit to America is no different from any Hollywood movie in terms of scenario and direction…and why did the issue coincide with the ongoing dialogues between the Iraqi Prime Minister and And the American side regarding the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq?!” She asked: “What is being planned behind the scenes?!”

For his part, the researcher in Iraqi political affairs, Mujahid Al-Taie, asked about Baghdad’s role, and said in his blog post: “The Foreign Minister, during his meeting with the Prime Minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government, confirmed that the United States will continue to support flexible Kurdistan, as it is the cornerstone of American relations with Iraq in a way.” Shamil,” asking, “The Kurdistan region is the cornerstone… What about Baghdad?”

The visit comes days after the decisions of the Federal Court in Iraq, which undermined the region’s authority economically, financially, and politically, and the regional government did not comment on them, in addition to other files, including the file of Baghdad’s attempts to end the role of the international coalition in Iraq, which is what the Kurdistan Regional Government does not want.

alaraby.co.uk