Al-Sudani in New York.. a protocol visit that lacks the “most important” files

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[size=52]Al-Sudani in New York.. a protocol visit that lacks the “most important” files[/size]

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2024-09-21
Baghdad
In an atmosphere filled with crises surrounding Iraq and the region, the visit of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to the United States to attend the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly, gains its importance from the bilateral meetings that he will hold with leaders and heads of state from various countries of the world, but observers downplayed the importance of the visit and considered it protocol and will not bring anything new, stressing that it will not discuss important files such as the American withdrawal, but will be limited to strengthening relations and exchanging official invitations for mutual visits only.[/size]
[size=45]Amer Al-Fayez, a member of the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee, said in an interview with “Al-Alam Al-Jadeed” that “the participation of the Sudanese Prime Minister in the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly in New York is a matter of protocol, but this participation is important in conveying Iraq’s voice to the entire world and stating its position on the important issues that the region is going through.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Fayez added, “Al-Sudani’s participation is important, especially since during the visit he will hold various meetings with many officials from different countries, and there will certainly be a discussion of economic, investment and security files, and Al-Sudani will emphasize the importance of ending the missions of the international coalition in Iraq during his meetings in New York.”[/size]
[size=45]He stressed the necessity for “Iraq to participate in all important international forums, especially since Al-Sudani, during his meetings in New York, will extend invitations to some presidents to visit the capital, Baghdad, with the aim of concluding various agreements. He will also receive invitations to visit various countries, and this will strengthen foreign relations and confirm Iraq’s pivotal role in the world.”[/size]
[size=45]Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani left the capital, Baghdad, yesterday, Saturday, heading to New York, to participate in the meetings of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Sudani visited Washington last April and met with US President Joe Biden during his visit, but according to the final statement of the meeting, he did not address the issue of the US withdrawal, especially since the internal Iraqi situation is tense regarding it in light of the armed factions’ threat to increase the volume of attacks against US interests, in the event of a failure to withdraw.[/size]
[size=45]According to sources, revealed at the time, the US administration stipulated that Al-Sudani not address the withdrawal file during the talks with Biden, and limited the discussions to economic and investment files and developing the partnership between the two countries.[/size]
[size=45]A Pentagon official announced in early September that the United States was aware of media reports about potential plans to withdraw American forces from Iraq, but that the United States was “not yet ready to announce any specific dates.” The American official’s statement came after Reuters published a report about the Iraqi government and the international coalition led by Washington against ISIS reaching an understanding on a plan to end its operations, and that the plan includes the withdrawal of hundreds of international coalition forces from Iraq by September 2025, while the rest will withdraw in 2026.[/size]
[size=45]For his part, political analyst, Muhammad Ali Al-Hakim, during an interview with “Al-Alam Al-Jadeed”, believes that “Al-Sudani’s participation in the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly is a media protocol, and has no importance at the level of signing agreements, and that what will take place in it are merely discussions and meetings, and will not have results on the ground, especially since Iraq participates in every session, and this is not a new thing.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Hakim points out that “this visit will not raise the issue of withdrawing American forces from Iraq, especially in light of the dangerous and major escalation in the region and developments on the Lebanese front. Al-Sudani is well aware that all countries do not deal with this issue, and even American officials will not meet with Al-Sudani except after setting a condition that this issue will not be raised during bilateral meetings.”[/size]
[size=45]He stressed that “Al-Sudani’s speech during the UN General Assembly meetings must take a neutral and balanced stance towards what is happening in the region, especially since the Western community and the Americans have a clear stance in supporting the Zionist entity, and stating Iraq’s position that it is with an axis against an axis may push for international positions to be taken, especially in light of such meetings that include the participation of all world leaders. At the same time, Iraq’s position must be stated, rejecting the Zionist entity and the massacres it is committing in Palestine and Lebanon.”[/size]
[size=45]It is noteworthy that the armed factions, since mid-October 2023, began targeting American bases in Iraq, coinciding with the Gaza war, as the factions announced that their targeting of American forces was in response to American support for Israel.[/size]
[size=45]The previous escalation between the armed factions and the American forces witnessed military responses from Washington, the most recent of which was the bombing of the city of Al-Qaim, adjacent to the Syrian border. The US Central Command confirmed at the time that its forces launched air strikes in Iraq and Syria targeting sites of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and its affiliated militia groups. The command said that the US military forces struck more than 85 targets with many aircraft, including long-range bombers, launched from the United States.[/size]
[size=45]Last August, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the postponement of the date for announcing the end of the mission of the US-led international coalition due to “developments” that it did not specify. However, the Prime Minister’s advisor, Diaa al-Nasiri, confirmed that the recent targeting of the Ain al-Assad base and the previous targeting of the Popular Mobilization Forces factions in Jurf al-Sakhar were what led to the postponement of the announcement of the end of the mission of the coalition forces, stressing that negotiations with the coalition to end its mission were postponed to assess the situation and until the parties that targeted the Ain al-Assad base are known.[/size]
[size=45]It is worth noting that as a result of the escalation between the armed factions and the American forces, it was announced months ago that negotiations between the Iraqi and American committees had begun to discuss the withdrawal of American forces, and these committees are still working without announcing the final results so far.[/size]
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