TRUMP SURPRISES THE FRAMEWORK AND OPENS FIRE ON MALIKI… HOW WILL THE COORDINATION COMMITTEE RESPOND TO THE AMERICAN POSITION?
It appears that Nouri al-Maliki’s chances of securing a third term as head of the Iraqi government are almost nonexistent, after US President Donald Trump announced the United States’ position rejecting this nomination .
Trump said Tuesday evening that “the United States will no longer help Iraq if Nouri al-Maliki is chosen as prime minister,” and wrote on Truth Social: “We hear that the great nation of Iraq may be making the (very bad) choice of re-installing Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister.”
Trump added: “The last time Maliki was in power, the country descended into poverty and utter chaos, and that should not be allowed to happen again.” He concluded by saying that “if Washington stops helping Iraq, it will have no chance of success, prosperity, or freedom . “
The Coordination Framework, as the largest bloc in parliament, announced earlier this week the nomination of the head of the State of Law Coalition for the position of Prime Minister, even though Maliki is considered one of the most controversial figures in Iraq and faces widespread popular rejection .
Since last Saturday, Washington has not issued an explicit position regarding al-Maliki’s nomination for prime minister, and has been content with emphasizing its rejection of the formation of a government close to Iran and its armed factions in Iraq. Al-Maliki is considered the closest of those close to Iran and the spiritual father of the armed factions, as he is credited with establishing them before the events of “ISIS” and then officially announcing them under the umbrella of the Popular Mobilization Forces after the events of June 10, 2014, before the fatwa of the religious authority in Najaf regarding the sufficient jihad .
In addition to the American rejection of al-Maliki’s nomination, Shiite and Sunni political forces opposed this nomination. The Progress Party, led by Mohammed al-Halbousi, officially announced its rejection of the Coordination Framework candidate, Nouri al-Maliki, and stressed that it would not participate in any government led by a figure who brings back to the Iraqis’ memory sectarian conflicts, the growth of extremism and terrorism, the repeated crises, and international and Arab isolation .
While some parties within the coordination framework had reservations about this nomination, other forces rejected it. Perhaps the most prominent opponents of Maliki assuming a third term are the Wisdom Movement led by Ammar al-Hakim, in addition to reservations from the Asaib Movement led by Qais al-Khazali .
Political researcher Mustafa Al-Obaidi believes that the American position settled the matter and saved the opposition forces the trouble of taking action to put obstacles in front of Al-Maliki . Al-Obeidi told Al-Sa’a Network: “The matter of Maliki assuming the premiership has been decided after Trump’s stance. Everyone was waiting for this stance, which is the expected stance from Washington towards one of the most important Iraqi politicians close to Iran and its axis in Iraq . ”
He added that “preparations were underway internally through the political forces opposed to Maliki in order to form the blocking third to obstruct Maliki’s appointment and prevent a vote on his government,” noting that “these forces began a movement during the past two days to arrange the situation.”
Al-Obeidi explained that “Washington’s acceptance of Maliki, if it happens, will send a clear message that the United States is not serious about ending and reducing Iranian influence in Iraq,” noting that “Maliki’s early removal through the American position came largely as a result of the picture drawn by the American envoy Mark Savaya about Maliki and his closeness to the factions and Iran.”
Al-Ubaidi ruled out that “the Coordination Framework would issue any positions opposing or contradicting the American position regarding the nomination,” indicating that “if the Framework insists, under Iranian pressure, on passing al-Maliki, then Washington will not allow his government to succeed within one year of its formation.”
Before Trump’s stance on al-Maliki’s nomination, Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper revealed that the Coordination Framework had received an American message objecting to the mechanisms for nominating the prime minister-designate and other leadership positions. The newspaper indicated that a prominent leader in the Coordination Framework received a surprise American call informing him of Washington’s objection to the continued Iranian dominance over the mechanisms for forming the government. A prominent leader in the State of Law Coalition, which is led by al-Maliki, acknowledged that the American message had disrupted the latter’s nomination and made his path to a third term extremely difficult.
According to the Arabic newspaper, “The American message caused a sharp disagreement during a meeting of the coordination framework between those who oppose American interference in the appointment of the prime minister, and others who warn that nominating Maliki will create a tense relationship with Washington and will harm Iraq and its existing political system.”
It appears that the forces of the Coordination Framework, especially those who adopted the option of nominating Maliki, will be facing a major test and trial, after the American position became clear, which rejects any government that includes those close to Iran, according to what was stated by Mahmoud Azzo, a professor of political science at the University of Mosul, who suggested that the Framework would present another figure who enjoys international and specifically American support in order to avoid an upcoming crisis with Washington .
Azzou told Al-Sa’a Network: “The American position towards Iraq is linked to American positions in the Middle East, which coincide with the use of the maximum pressure policy towards the Iranian issue . ”
He added that “Washington is not only trying to rearrange Iraq’s situation in the region, but is also seeking to neutralize it completely from the Iranian issue so that American interests are not negatively affected on the one hand, and so that Iraq is not affected by any measures that Washington might issue against Iraq because of Iran . ”
He continued: “The framework forces will face a difficult test regarding the nomination of the next prime minister, as the matter is not related to the numerical bloc and the number of deputies, but rather to the extent of the acceptability of those nominated internally and externally, and this matter seems clear after the American rejection of the framework option and its candidate for the premiership . ”
Azzou predicted that “the coordination framework will begin maneuvering to replace its candidate for the premiership with others who enjoy acceptance and good relations with the United States,” suggesting that “the head of the Iraqi intelligence service, Hamid al-Shatri, is the closest to the position, especially since, according to the American vision, he is compatible with the Iraqi position towards the situation in the region in the future, as well as with the regional developments and tensions in the region.”
He indicated that “the forces that reject al-Maliki’s nomination, most notably the Wisdom Movement led by Ammar al-Hakim, will take the initiative and will be at the forefront of presenting the framework candidate and trying to convince the United States and the international community of him to assume the presidency of the Iraqi government in light of the developments and changes in the Middle East.”
The caretaker Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, received a call from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who warned that the Iranian-controlled government could not successfully put Iraq’s interests first or keep Iraq out of regional conflicts.
During a phone call between US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack and Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani, the US envoy expressed his displeasure with supporting any government in Iraq that is close to Iran, in an implicit reference to Barzani’s position supporting Nouri al-Maliki’s nomination for the Iraqi premiership.
In conjunction with the previous positions, the US President’s envoy to Iraq, Mark Savaya, confirmed that his team is working on the ground in Baghdad to prevent Iranian-backed armed factions from coming to power, noting at the same time that he now has a database of individuals involved, including senior government officials and their family members who have benefited from corrupt Iraqi funds.
Nouri al-Maliki was accused by official Iraqi committees and popular gatherings of wasting about one trillion US dollars during his eight years in power, in addition to causing support for sectarian conflict and rhetoric, handing over a third of Iraqi territory to ISIS, as well as his rule being characterized by security chaos, human rights violations, widespread arbitrary arrests, the growing influence of secret informants, and other violations.
(Mnt Goat: Can it get much worst than this?)