An American report reads “conflicting” messages between Al-Sudani and Biden, 18 JAN

An American report reads “conflicting” messages between Al-Sudani and Biden

Shafaq News / The American “Atlantic Council” Institute considered that Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani is sending “conflicting” messages about the withdrawal or stay of American forces in Iraq, warning that relations between Baghdad and Washington are rapidly approaching the dynamics of the era of the administration of former President Donald Trump when he decided Assassination of the Deputy Head of the Popular Mobilization Forces (Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis) and the Commander of the Quds Force, General Qassem Soleimani.

To begin with, the American report, translated by Shafaq News Agency, considered that after a year of stability and mutual tolerance between Baghdad and Washington, relations between the two countries have entered a turn for the worse during the past two months.

The report recalled that when US President Joe Biden took office in 2021, the general perception was that US policy towards Iraq would be determined through diplomacy, in contrast to the strict approach of the Trump administration, which included the threat of imposing sanctions, confiscating funds, and using force to settle scores on Iraqi soil from Without the approval of Baghdad.

Sudanese and Al-Kazemi

After the report pointed out that former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi was a strong supporter of working closely with all international actors, especially the United States, and that he transformed Iraq into a regional player and a stabilizing factor, it explained that Iraq was successfully able to mediate complex disputes, such as the conflict between… Iran and Saudi Arabia.

He also indicated that, as a result, Al-Kadhimi enjoyed a strong relationship with the Biden administration, but Al-Kadhimi’s successor, i.e. the Sudanese, did not enjoy a similar degree of trust during his period as head of the government since its beginning in October 2022.

The report explained that despite his ability to secure a one-year truce between the United States and the Iraqi political and armed factions that reject the American military presence in Iraq, and receiving declared support from the Biden administration, Al-Sudani has not traveled to Washington yet, while the security truce ended after the outbreak of war. The war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2023, ruling out that Al-Sudani will be received in the White House soon.

American assassinations

The report said, “It would not be an exaggeration to say that Iraqi-American relations are accelerating as they approach the dynamics recorded under the Trump administration in 2020, when an American drone strike killed Al-Muhandis and Soleimani, which prompted the House of Representatives to issue a resolution calling for the withdrawal of American forces.” .

Now, the report says that an American raid on January 4 killed inside Baghdad, the leader of the Popular Mobilization Forces, Mushtaq Jawad Al-Saeedi, coinciding with the anniversary of the assassination of Al-Muhandis and Soleimani.

The report stated that the Iraqi presidency, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued three statements condemning the new raid, describing it as “a violation of sovereignty and a violation of the bilateral agreement regarding the rules of engagement and conditions for the presence of American forces in Iraq,” and the spokesman for the Armed Forces, Major General Yahya Rasoul, described it as “blatant aggression.” …and an act resembling terrorist activities.”

He also referred to the statement of the Pentagon spokesman when he said, “Those in the country at the invitation of the Iraqi government are stationed there for one reason, which is to support the mission of defeating ISIS. And that when those forces are threatened, just as we do elsewhere in the world, we will reserve the inherent right to Self-defense to protect our forces.”

Calming messages

However, the report indicated that the phrase “the inherent right to self-defense” was what created a bilateral crisis every time it was applied in Iraq, adding that the Iraqi government’s reaction was expressed by Al-Sudani when he described the new American raid as a “crime,” pledging to end The presence of international coalition forces through dialogue in the joint bilateral committee.

However, Al-Sudani, despite the many strong statements made in the past few days, sent a soothing message to the United States when he told Reuters that the upcoming talks to negotiate an end to the presence of forces in Iraq do not mean the end of the partnership between Iraq and the international coalition, but rather the beginning. For bilateral relations between Iraq, the United States, and other countries, including security relations.

The report continued that the next few months will reveal whether the Iraqi government intends to adhere to the position announced by Al-Sudani and whether he will submit a formal request to withdraw American forces, or whether his statement, as skeptics claim, was made for the purpose of local consumption.

The report concluded by saying that it is difficult to explain the failure of American officials, who stress that the presence of American forces in Iraq is based on an invitation from the Iraqi government, to see the irony in the collective condemnations of their actions issued by all parties of the Iraqi leadership.

The report continued, saying that at the same time, it is also difficult to explain the reason for the failure of the Iraqi government, which confirms the protection of its “guests” from the American forces from attacks launched by the factions. The government describes them as belonging to the Iraqi security forces, which are supposed to operate according to the powers granted by them. They have a supreme leader.

The American report concluded by saying that the time has come for the governments of Iraq and the United States to review their commitments and fulfill them, instead of mixing partnership with aggression.

shafaq.com