Alwaght- Everything started with publication of a photo, a photo so provocative that unleashed a major scandal to the Iraqi government.
Later last week, Aljazeera reporter Ali Hashem published photo of secret meeting of the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani and the Syrian self-proclaimed President Ahmad al-Sharaa ( better known for his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani). The photo, which was not supposed to be published, worked like a bombshell in the Iraqi media and political arenas, leaving the government of al-Sudani face to face with a big challenge with the pro-government parliamentary factions.
Citing government sources, media outlets have announced the date of al-Sudani's unannounced trip to Doha and meeting with al-Jolani as April 15. Iraqi government officials, who seem shocked by the publication of the photo of the meeting, are now saying that the Qataris had agreed to officially announce the meeting and that there was no intention to continue cover-up on the meeting. However, Iraqi media describe this stance as the government's attempt to cover up the story and the lack of transparency concerning the preparation for al-Jolani's invitation and attendance at the upcoming Arab League summit in Baghdad.
While some members of the Iraqi parliament from different political factions announced that they had collected about 50 parliamentary signatures regarding the secret meeting and also called for the adoption of a resolution to prevent al-Sharaa from attending the upcoming Baghdad summit, the Iraqi government explained the details of the meeting in a statement.
"This trip was not secret, but it was agreed to be announced at the appropriate time. What happened was a difference in the timing of the announcement. How can a secret meeting be possible and its photos be published? Dozens of secret trips are made by politicians and officials from different countries that are not disclosed and remain only in internal reports," the statement said.
It added: "Prime Minister al-Sudani acts with political realism and avoids empty slogans. Just as he is a balancer at home, he also introduces Iraq as a balanced country. Just as he has succeeded with bold measures in development and the economy, he will continue to succeed in foreign policy with a bold approach."
The statement explained the nature of the visit, saying that this meeting was not unusual in the politics, "especially in our fast-developing region... Give the regional developments, al-Sudani's meeting with al-Sharaa is understandable, especially given Syria's effects on the Iraqi security and geopolitics."
The Iraqi government also revealed that “al-Sudani spoke openly and clearly with al-Sharaa about Iraq’s expectations from the new Syria, without any reservations,” including “preserving ethno-religious diversity, especially the issue of the Alawites.”
The statement, in response to protests from parties and members of parliament, stressed that “no one can question al-Sudani on strategic issues related to the majority of society (referring to the Shiites).” It also noted that “one day before the publication of the photo of the trilateral meeting, al-Sudani ordered the foreign ministry to convey to the Lebanese ambassador Iraq’s protest against the Lebanese president’s statements about Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The next day, the Lebanese president phoned al-Sudani to clarify his position."
Complications of Syrian case in Iraq
Although Iraqi government promotes the meeting and talks with al-Sharaa as a step within the framework of Iraq's security interests and for better control of borders with Syria and fighting remnants of ISIS terrorist group in Syria, political forces have labeled the move as an "uncalculated adventure".
The negative attitude towards the Iraqi government's hasty closeness to the new Syrian regime is not limited to the pro-resistsnce political factions, and even the Sadequn faction close to high-profile Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who walked out of the politics following a dispute with other Shiite factions, has expressed its opposition to closing eyes to the legal records of the new Syrian rulers. This opposition has sometimes been very sharp. For example, Abu Ali Askari, spokesman for Kataib Hezbollah, explicitly called on the government to "present a specific timetable for the withdrawal of American forces" and threatened that if the al-Sudani's regional independent approach continues, they "will withdraw their vote of confidence to him.
This opposition stems in particular from the fact that the self-proclaimed Syrian president is still facing legal charges related to the Syrian war and his role in facilitating the deployment of terrorists into Iraq during the rise of ISIS from 2014 to 2017 and the great tragedies that this event caused. On the other hand, the record of the new regime in the past few months has shown a sharp gap between the words and actions of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) in dealing with religious minorities and even limiting the weapons of the arbitrary Takfiri groups and confronting ISIS, to the extent that even Western countries opposed to the former government led by Bashar al-Assad still refuse to officially recognize the new regime.
The legal arguments around the character of Ahmad al-Sharaa are neither trivial nor escapable and present a major challenge to the government of al-Sudani's invitation of al-Sharaa to attend Baghdad summit. According to reports, the new Syrian ruler has used aliases during previous visits to Iraq and has been the subject of subpoenas, prompting the Iraqi foreign ministry to inquire with the judiciary about the legality of his admission to or participation in future meetings on Iraqi soil.
This debate reveals the complications of the Syrian case in Iraq. In fact, this trilateral meeting with the presence of the Qatari emir is not a passing ceremonial event. The timing and secrecy of this meeting have raised many questions about its objectives and consequences, especially in a situation where there are deep gaps in Iraq about the relationship with the new Syrian regime.
For al-Sudani's government, openness to Damascus marks a strategic step towards security of borders and fight against terrorism. But this move is tied to home consensus that is currently non-existent. Baghdad's tendency to hastily approach the new Syrian regime supported by Turkey and the Persian Gulf Arab monarchies sends the wrong signal about the prevailing view in the Iraqi government towards redrawing regional alliances of the country.
Baghdad needs to act cautiously, because any move off the framework of consensus can awaken sleeping disputes and inflame legitimacy crisis in the country.
