Iraqi Prime Minister’s priorities in his trip to America

According to the report of the international group Tasnim news agency, with the announcement of the Iraqi media, Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, first The Iraqi minister will leave for Washington on Monday, April 15 (April 27), along with the country’s high-ranking economic, political and security delegation. This is Sudani’s first visit to America since his election as the Iraqi Prime Minister on October 28, 2022.

On the eve of the departure of the high-ranking Iraqi delegation to Washington, many Iraqi parties and factions They consider it an important step in drawing the future domestic, regional and international policies of the Sudanese government. For this purpose, several meetings are being held between the political forces and government officials of this country, focusing on bilateral relations between Baghdad and Washington. He examined the trip to America based on bilateral relations, the withdrawal of coalition forces and the strengthening of economic relations. The evaluations show that the possible axes of consultation in the Sudanese trip to Washington can be planned in three political, economic and military sectors:

A) The political axes of the Sudanese trip to Washington

1) Baghdad’s relations with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq:

The Iraqi Federal Court in February/Esfand announced in a ruling that the responsibility for paying employees’ salaries will be transferred from Erbil to Baghdad and that all oil and non-oil revenues of the Kurdistan Region will be assigned to the Baghdad government. In addition, in order to investigate the complaint of the Patriotic Union regarding regional elections, the Federal Court found 11 minority seats to be invalid, so that the seats of regional parliament will decrease from 111 to 100. In another decision, the Federal Court dissolved the Kurdistan Election Commission and replaced it with the Independent High Election Commission of Iraq to supervise the upcoming elections in the region. These rulings caused widespread protests by the Democratic Party and considered the actions of the federal court as interference in matters that are not within its scope. He was the head of the Kurdistan region. In this meeting, an agreement was reached on issues such as oil export by the region and how to pay employees’ incomes. Also, the president of the Kurdistan region participated in the meeting of the government administration coalition in order to increase coordination and reduce differences before the visit of the Iraqi prime minister to America.

Fawad Hossein, the Iraqi Foreign Minister, had gone to Washington before Al-Sudani in order to prepare the Prime Minister’s visit. During this trip, Fawad Hussain discussed bilateral relations based on the future cooperation of the two countries in the field of military and political issues with Jake Sullivan, National Security Adviser and Philip Gordon, National Security Adviser to the US Vice President. The Iraqi Foreign Minister was also the guest of Brett McGurk, coordinator of Middle East and North Africa affairs in the White House. In this meeting, the improvement of Erbil-Baghdad relations, the removal of obstacles to the export of oil from the Kurdistan region through Ceyhan port, the rights of pensioners and employees of the region, and the upcoming elections were discussed. Iraqi Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Washington was granted permission to export oil from the port of Ceyhan to Erbil by the central government. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad al-Sudani was trying to find a temporary solution to the relations between Baghdad and Erbil before traveling to America. Therefore, according to the lobby of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in the US government, the Sudanese government is expected to make a definitive decision with the aim of considering the interests of the Iraqi Kurdistan region.

2) Presidency of the Iraqi Parliament:

After the decision of the Federal Court of Iraq to revoke the representation of Mohammad Al-Halbousi, the former Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament due to forgery Laith Al-Dalimi’s resignation letter, this seat has remained vacant until today. Iraqi Prime Minister, Iraqi Foreign Minister, Iraqi Resistance, “src=”https://newsmedia.tasnimnews.com/Tasnim/Uploaded/Image/1403/01/20/14030120161818263297765710.jpg”/>

Two months after Al-Halbousi was removed from the presidency of the parliament, the Iraqi parliament held a meeting to elect a new speaker between the three main candidates Al-Karim, Al-Mashhadani and Al-Aisawi, Shalan Al-Karim managed to get 152 votes, Salem Al-Aisawi 97 and Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani 48 votes. In the first round of elections for the head of the parliament, none of the candidates could get the majority of votes. The time difference of about three months between the first and second rounds of the elections for the head of the parliament indicates a difference of opinion at the top levels of the parties. According to the agreement of the political groups, the second round of competition will be held after the Eid al-Fitr holiday between Sheikh Shaolan Al-Karim, the candidate approved by Badr, Hikmat, Toreght, Kurdistan Democrat, and Salem Al-Eisawi, the candidate supported by the government of law, other parties close to the resistance groups, and other Sunni parties.

According to the recognition of the former speaker of the Iraqi parliament, Mohammad al-Halbusi, that his party cooperates with American companies, it is expected that the Americans will speed up the process of electing the speaker of the parliament, who is likely to be the choice of the Toadhad party, over the Sunni and Shiite parties. to put pressure.

3) Strengthening and redefining bilateral relations between Iraq and America:

The parties close to the resistance groups, the Government of Law coalition and the Supreme Council, in a meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister, stressed the need to activate the 2008 agreement and advance the 2021 agreement as far as the withdrawal of the remaining military forces. They emphasized that the advisory forces should also leave Iraq. It is expected that during Mr. Al-Sudani’s visit to America, a comprehensive memorandum of cooperation between the two countries will be signed, so that the fate of this case will be resolved appropriately.

b) Economic axes of the Sudanese trip to Washington

1) Bank boycott Iraqi banks and the activities of American banks: Currently, 22 Iraqi banks and economic institutions are on the list of sanctions by the US Treasury. The economic delegation, which will go to Washington together with the Iraqi Prime Minister, is trying to get some of these banks out of the sanctions by giving the Americans a commitment of financial transparency and the initiative to pay compensation in case of financial violations to replace the sanctions on other Iraqi banks.

Considering the volume of investment and reconstruction of Iraq, this government It is trying to revive the mechanism of financial transparency on economic institutions. Mohammad Shia al-Sudani’s company at the Davos meeting, the whispers of J. Bank’s activity. P. Morgan strengthened in Iraq. This large economic complex is trying to take the biggest step for the American-Iraq economic partnership by activating its financial system in this country and to establish the ground for the continued presence and influence of the Americans in the economic structure of Iraq; This has caused the alarm of some Iraqi economic experts about the role and double influence of Washington in the future of the political economy of Iraq and the reduction of the practical independence of the government of this country in international financial interactions, especially with the resistance axis countries.

2) Pressure on the Iraqi government regarding financial exchanges with Iran:

Meanwhile is that the forward relations of the Sudanese government with Iran and especially the strengthening of the political and economic relations between the two countries in recent months will probably cause problems for the Americans to achieve this goal. The Sudanese government insists on strong interaction with neighboring countries, and this will probably turn this issue into one of the most challenging areas of discussion between the American and Iraqi officials during the Sudanese visit to Washington.

c) Military aspects of the Sudanese trip to Washington

1) Reviving the Baghdad-Washington security agreement

The 2008 agreement legally established the necessity of the complete withdrawal of American forces and the recognition of the Iraqi government’s right to protect its territory. . However, after the formation of ISIS and the unstable conditions that Iraq was experiencing after 2014, Al-Abadi’s government demanded the presence of American forces, contrary to this agreement. It was after this that until 2021, when the agreement was reached to withdraw part of the combat forces and maintain the American advisory forces, there was no agreement on the withdrawal of American forces or change of mission.

In a meeting that had a coordination framework with the Iraqi Prime Minister before his trip to America, it was agreed to return the security delegation being sent to Washington. The agreement of 2008, during which it led to the multi-stage withdrawal of American forces, should be discussed and investigated, thus forcing the American side to withdraw its troops from the territory of Iraq.

2) Expansion of military cooperation between the two countries:

After establishing relative stability in post-ISIS Iraq, NATO member countries are looking to expand cooperation with the Iraqi government. they went Italy and France are among the countries that are trying to develop their military cooperation with this country. On the other hand, the presence of America in Iraq prevents this from happening. Some speculations in the media claim that the White House is expected to warn the Sudanese government about the realization of this in view of the European competitors in cooperation with the European governments in Iraq, and then sign an agreement to increase the American military and advisory cooperation with the Iraqi government.

3) The activity of Iraqi resistance groups against America:

one of the The axis that is discussed in the talks between the Iraqi Prime Minister and the American President is the activity of the resistance groups. The American government is trying to put pressure on the Iraqi government to stop the activities of the Iraqi Islamic resistance groups and to protect the American bases from the attacks of the resistance groups; This will be accompanied by opposition from the Iraqi side, considering the realities governing the tensions in the region, especially the Gaza crisis, as well as the continuation of the US occupation and attacks on resistance bases in Iraq and Syria, and the open and behind-the-scenes support of terrorist groups.

Despite the differences of opinion of different Iraqi political factions and groups regarding the prime minister’s goals for his visit to Washington, many observers believe that this trip can help shape the future relations between Washington and Baghdad on the one hand and the Sudanese political future. On the other hand, it will be effective. It is obvious that if the goals set by the Americans to host the Iraqi Prime Minister during this trip are not fulfilled, the project of pressure on the Iraqi government will probably be keyed again by the opposing political currents, which is not far from the mind after reviewing the developments of recent years in this country. .