Baghdad conference.. American happiness, Arab reassurance, and an exam for the Sudanese and for Pari

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[size=52]Baghdad conference.. American happiness, Arab reassurance, and an exam for the Sudanese and for Paris diplomacy[/size]

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The American “Washington Institute” considered in a report today, Tuesday, that the “Baghdad-2” conference, which was held in Jordan under the auspices of France, is welcomed by the American administration because it enhances Iraqi engagement with “Arab neighbors,” but it pointed out that only time will tell. It will determine whether the agreements reached will be fruitful.[/size]
[size=45]And after the report indicated that the Amman meeting comes a little over a year after the first Baghdad conference, which was held in August 2021, it pointed out that the changes in its venue, political leadership, and regional context show a lot about the organizers' interests.[/size]
[size=45]The American report, which was published in English, stated that Paris and Baghdad organized a meeting last year in the Iraqi capital, with the aim of strengthening regional support for the besieged country, adding that the gathering of such a large number of competing players in the same hall was considered a diplomatic success, indicating thus the presence of Leaders and representatives of Egypt, Qatar, the Emirates, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, what was described as one of the rare gatherings that can bring Iran and Arab countries together.[/size]
[size=45]The report considered that the logic behind the summit initiative was the consensual agenda that focused on the importance of supporting Iraq at that difficult moment when Baghdad needed to reaffirm regional support for it in the war against ISIS, and in light of the first parliamentary election season after months of demonstrations and political turmoil.[/size]
[size=45]However, the report found that the other main objective of that event, which is to promote Iraq as a region of cooperation between competing countries rather than being a target country for interventions, has not been achieved so far.[/size]
[size=45]Now, the report indicated, the aim of Paris and Baghdad is to build on the success achieved in the first conference by expanding the number of issues on the agenda and seeking to launch regional cooperation on a variety of sectors, including energy, while keeping Iraq as a main topic.[/size]
[size=45]The report added that the decision to hold the conference in Amman reflects the greater expansion of the Kingdom of Jordan's relations and its accounts with Iraq, explaining that from a security point of view, Jordan seeks to remove jihadist elements, armed Iranian proxies and other threats from its eastern borders.[/size]
[size=45]On the diplomatic level, Jordan wants to continue the breakthrough that was achieved with former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi, who is coming with a significant improvement in bilateral relations after years of relations that followed the Saddam Hussein era, which ranged between apathy and hostility.[/size]
[size=45]The report indicated that Amman invested heavily in strengthening Al-Kazemi politically, and a number of forums were formed during his tenure, from the Baghdad Conference to the Kingdom’s continuous high-level meetings with Iraq and Egypt, adding that Al-Kazemi’s early exit raised concern among Jordanian officials, especially since his successor Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudani was not known to them, but the first visit of al-Sudani abroad was to Amman, which contributed to allaying some of the fears of Jordanian officials, and turning the Baghdad conference into an opportunity for them to build on this momentum.[/size]
[size=45]According to the report, Amman's policy towards Iraq is basically summed up around one main goal, which is to improve the Jordanian economy, because the kingdom has suffered from a series of economic setbacks due to regional events over the past two decades, from the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime to the Arab Spring and the Syrian civil war, all the way to the Corona epidemic.[/size]
[size=45]The report pointed to a Jordanian effort to obtain cheap and guaranteed oil, by offering Jordan itself as a corridor for Iraqi oil to cross into the Red Sea through the planned Basra-Aqaba pipeline, noting that Baghdad and Amman have also launched a project to connect their electrical networks, while Jordan is looking forward Increasingly to Iraq as an export market.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Sudani in the footsteps of Al-Kazemi?[/size]
[size=45]The report considered that from the Iraqi point of view, the conference provides an important regional and international opportunity for Al-Sudani, adding that the closeness of Al-Sudani's government to pro-Iranian players is viewed in the West and by some neighbors with distrust, and therefore Al-Sudani's participation in the multilateral conference represents a means to reassure external backers.[/size]
[size=45]In addition, al-Sudani may see the conference as an occasion to build consensus with Arab neighbors on economic relations, security cooperation and other issues, while this conference constitutes an influential model for reaching out to Gulf states concerned about threats posed by Iraqi-backed militias. From Iran and at the same time hopes to pursue the many investment opportunities available.[/size]
[size=45]While the report indicated that Tehran does not show opposition to Al-Sudani's participation in the conference, he explained that this is due to the fact that the existence of an internationally isolated Iraqi government does not serve Iran's interests.[/size]
[size=45]The report also considered that the conference is important for Al-Sudani in view of his lack of experience in foreign policy, and it also provides an early example of Al-Sudani's devotion to Al-Kadhimi's legacy, whose personality and achievements in terms of foreign policy were greatly appreciated by France and Jordan.[/size]
[size=45]The report added that the repetition of the conference corresponds well with the idea of ​​building bridges with the Iraqi state, regardless of who leads it.[/size]
[size=45]France and regional stability[/size]
[size=45]While the report indicated that Iraq occupies a central place in the Middle East policy of French President Emmanuel Macron, it indicated that Paris provided significant military assistance as the second largest contributor to Operation Inherent Resolve and the NATO mission in Iraq, in addition to diplomatic and humanitarian support during the war against Daesh, noting that after the defeat of Daesh, France has engaged in stabilization efforts at a total cost of more than 60 million euros since 2017.[/size]
[size=45]The report saw that, from the French point of view, the 2021 Baghdad Summit and the current Amman conference reflect part of its approach represented by "conference diplomacy", which contributes to strengthening regional stability and relations between leaders.[/size]
[size=45]And in light of the fact that Iraq represents a major intersection for regional actors such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the American report says that French officials consider Iraq the best starting point for easing tensions in the neighborhood, referring, for example, to the currently tense relations between Baghdad and Ankara.[/size]
[size=45]The report pointed out that Iraq also shows how international challenges such as global warming can affect the Middle East.[/size]
[size=45]The report concluded by noting that Paris dealt with the “Baghdad-2” conference in Amman as the start of a long-term dynamic directed towards facing global challenges regionally, not only on the level of climate change, but also on food security, desertification, energy security, public health emergencies and disasters. natural and others.[/size]
[size=45]On the important French role, the report stated that the Baghdad conference was among the few Middle Eastern issues that were mentioned in the joint statement issued after Macron's meeting with US President Joe Biden in Washington earlier this month.[/size]
[size=45]Acceptance of the United States to date[/size]
[size=45]The report stated that the White House had praised, in 2021, the Baghdad conference, as it represented a "successful and pioneering regional summit." The report added that US policy makers are pleased with the content and format of both events because they achieve the overarching goal of both Washington and Paris, which is to encourage more Iraqi engagement with Arab neighbors.[/size]
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