Baghdad is not aware of the factions’ participation in the attack on Israel, and Washington is revie

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[size=52]Baghdad is not aware of the factions’ participation in the attack on Israel, and Washington is reviewing the mistakes of 20 years[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad/ Tamim Al-Hassan[/size]
[size=45]Today will be the penultimate day on the schedule of the visit of Muhammad al-Sudani, Prime Minister, to Washington, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is supposed to arrive in Baghdad a few days after the former’s return.
Al-Sudani arrived last Saturday, in his first visit to the United States since he assumed power in late 2022, in a delicate situation after the direct Iranian bombing of Israel.
Al-Sudani, in return, denied his government's knowledge of launching missiles from Iraqi territory in the recent Iranian attack, while information had leaked about the participation of factions from within.
An Iraqi researcher points out that there are parties seeking to “sabotage the visit,” and he considered that what is happening currently is very important, as Washington is undertaking a “correction process” for the mistakes that occurred in Iraq after 2003. The Iraqi Prime Minister had agreed during his meeting with US President Joseph Biden at home White last Monday evening, on a “sustainable partnership,” two days after the Iranian attack.
Al-Sudani said in an interview with the American CNN network, “We have not received any reports or indications of the launching of missiles or marches from Iraq during the Iranian attack, and our position is clear that we will not allow Iraq to be thrown into the arena of conflict, and we are committed to this matter.”
Israel had said that some Iranian missiles were launched from Iraq during the attack carried out by Tehran last Saturday.
The Prime Minister stressed that Baghdad is working to distance the country from the arena of conflict, noting that “Iran cannot be involved in every issue related to the Iraqi situation.”
During the visit, information leaked about Biden’s request to the Iraqi government to control the factions linked to Iran.
The requests of two ministers to enter Washington, as part of the delegation, were also rejected because of their relationship with these groups: Minister of Labor Ahmed Al-Asadi (leader of Jund Al-Imam, and Minister of Education Naeem Al-Aboudi, a leader in Asaib Ahl Al-Haq).
The delegation included only 3 ministers, namely the Ministers of Planning, Finance, and Oil, in addition to the Governor of the Central Bank, and a number of advisors.
Ghazi Faisal, a researcher in political affairs, said in an interview with (Al-Mada) that “Iraq can play an important role in curbing Iran and preventing it from striking Western strategic interests in Iraq and the region.”
Faisal stated, “There are those who stand against the development of relations between Baghdad and Washington, most notably the armed faction movements linked to the Revolutionary Guard.”
He added: “These currents are trying to impose the Iranian strategy to confront the American strategy in Iraq, sometimes militarily by targeting embassies or striking military and vital installations, and sometimes through politics.”
He believes that the presence of these groups in Iraq “distorts the country’s image, enhances the phenomenon of economic instability, disintegrates the state, and harms relations with the United States.”
Faisal believes that the American administration is keen on cooperating with Iraq. He says that what is happening in the visit now “is to reformulate relations with Washington, review the mistakes that occurred after 2003, and return Iraq to the path of democracy.”
The meeting between the two presidents did not address the issue of withdrawing American forces from Iraq, as appeared in the joint statement of the two parties, stating that those forces will not leave the country soon.
In return, he announced an arms deal in which Iraq would pay more than $500 million to Washington. Government spokesman Bassem Al-Awadi said that “41 aircraft will be purchased” from the United States.
So far, the factions have not commented on these positions, while they have threatened to escalate if the forces do not leave or the term “occupation” is replaced by “sustainable partnership.”[/size]
[size=45]The economic file.
In addition, the Sudanese meetings in Washington in the past 48 hours focused on economic files, and they will continue in this manner during the last two days until Friday (the last day of the visit).
The Sudanese announced plans to export flour in the future by investing in production capacities. He also met in Washington with companies working in the energy field in Iraq.
During the visit, the Iraqi government agreed to end work on the electronic window platform for banks at the end of this year in order to rely on licensed Iraqi banks and arrange their relationship with foreign banks, according to the government spokesman.
Al-Sudani revealed, in interviews he conducted during the visit, that 80% of dollar transactions in Iraq occur outside the electronic platform.
The Prime Minister said during the activities of the 2024 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group in Washington, that Iraq is burning $4 to $5 billion worth of gas associated with oil per day.
Al-Sudani confirmed that Iraq has begun projects to invest in associated gas, and these projects will achieve self-sufficiency for Iraq in the field of electricity in 3-5 years. The Prime Minister pointed out that the national average cost of producing a barrel of Iraqi oil is $8, while it is $26 in Iraqi Kurdistan, and this is the reason for the dispute with companies in Kurdistan. In return, the Finance Committee in Parliament revealed its great satisfaction with the results of the Prime Minister’s discussions in Washington. The head of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Atwan Al-Atwani, said in a statement: “We are following with great satisfaction the results of the Iraqi delegation’s discussions.” The statement praised the US President's announcement of the United States' commitment to supporting Iraq to reform and develop its financial and banking system.[/size]
[size=45]Shadows of Partnership
Ghazi Faisal, who heads the Iraqi Center for Strategic Studies, says that the agreements that took place in Washington need “follow-up and implementation in Iraq.”
Faisal, a former diplomat, stated that there are important aspects announced by the US State Department to support the transformations in Iraq.
The Foreign Ministry said, according to Faisal, that it will support education, health, energy, private investment, and rebuilding industry and infrastructure programs.
Faisal says, “All of this is taking place in accordance with the strategic framework agreement between the two countries, and it was Elena Romanowski, the American ambassador in Baghdad, who played a decisive role in bringing viewpoints closer together, and confirmed the adoption of the agreement.”
Today, the Sudanese will travel to Michigan City and will meet with the Iraqi community there. He will also hold dialogues and meetings with former ambassadors, before the visit ends on Friday evening.
On the other hand, the Turkish President may be in Baghdad a few days later, according to what he told reporters after a meeting of his government last Tuesday.[/size]
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