ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani’s planned visit to Baghdad on Saturday has been postponed, but he is expected to make the trip this week, according to officials in Baghdad. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein had invited Shaibani to Baghdad and discussions are ongoing “to reschedule the visit," including "technical and logistical arrangements” as well as “security preparations,” Hisham al-Alawi, the Iraqi foreign ministry undersecretary, told Rudaw’s Ziyad Ismael on Saturday. Earlier, the Iraqi foreign ministry had stated that Shaibani “expressed interest in visiting” Baghdad to discuss “bilateral relations” and “regional political and security developments.” A member of the Iraqi parliament’s foreign relations committee, Muthanna Amin, told Rudaw’s Zana Kayani that Shaibani had “gladly accepted” Baghdad’s invitation, but that the trip was delayed because of scheduling and technical issues. "The visit will definitely take place within this week," Amin said, adding that when he comes, Shaibani is expected to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, the Foreign Minister Hussein, and senior security officials to discuss economic, political and security matters, particularly the issue of Islamic State (ISIS) camps in Syria and the role of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Syrian foreign ministry on Friday stated that Shaibani’s visit to Iraq “aims to open a new page in relations” between the two countries. If the visit occurs, it will mark the first by a member of Syria’s new transitional government. The head of Iraq’s intelligence agency visited Damascus in December. Iraq has also extended an invitation to Syria’s new administration to attend the Arab League summit in Baghdad in May.
