Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi receives Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara A. Leaf in Baghdad on September 4, 2022. Photo: PM Kadhimi's office
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A top United States official met with Iraqi leaders on Sunday, discussing the political crisis in the country and reiterating Washington’s support for Baghdad and the strengthening of bilateral ties during this period.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, President Barham Salih, and Speaker of the Parliament Mohammed al-Halbousi received Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara A. Leaf in separate meetings where they addressed the recent developments in Iraq’s political scene and the importance of holding a “national dialogue” to resolve the outstanding issues between the political actors in the country.
Iraq was pulled into chaos after powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced his “definitive retirement” from politics last week, setting off violent clashes between his supporters and loyalists of rival Iran-backed militias which claimed the lives of at least 30 people and injured over 500 others.
Leaf affirmed her country’s commitment “to support the security and stability of Iraq and the safety of its people, and to support dialogue to resolve the political crisis in a way that consolidates stability and achieves progress for Iraqis,” read a statement from President Salih’s office on Sunday.
Similar statements of support for de-escalation and call for national dialogue were echoed in Leaf’s meetings with PM Kadhimi and Halbousi as well.
Bilateral relations and the strengthening of Iraq-US partnerships “in accordance with the strategic framework agreement between the two countries” were also discussed during the meetings.
Iraq has been suffering from a political impasse as it has failed to elect a president and a prime minister nearly a year after it held snap elections, due to disagreements between rival political parties over the mechanism to form a government.
The country was plunged into a deeper crisis after Sadr’s retirement announcement on Monday as neighboring and leading countries issued calls for calm and restraint.
US President Joe Biden spoke to PM Kadhimi on Wednesday and called on the political actors in Iraq to partake in a national dialogue to overcome the ongoing political crisis in the country, offering Washington’s support in the efforts to de-escalate the political instability in the region.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment