Biden meets with Iraqi PM ahead of Jeddah Summit

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
16 Jul 2022 13:36

The two leaders stressed the importance of forming a new Iraqi government that meets the expectations of the Iraqi people during the meeting.

Biden meets with Iraqi PM ahead of Jeddah Summit.

US President Joe Biden met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi on Saturday, ahead of Saudi Arabia's Jeddah Summit.

According to a joint statement, Biden and Al-Kadhimi agreed to improve Iraq's security and military institutions, as well as the necessity of battling corruption and helping the Iraqi economy.

Biden also underlined the importance of a "stable and undivided Iraq, including the Kurdistan region," and stated that a "strong Iraq" is required to ensure regional stability.

The US President and Al-Kadhimi agreed to improve security coordination to avoid the rise of ISIS in Iraq.

The two leaders stressed the importance of forming a new Iraqi government that meets the expectations of the Iraqi people during the meeting, which also addressed Iraq's political situation, which is currently hampered by political disagreements among parties preventing the parliament from electing a president and forming a government.

Prior to their discussion, Biden stated, "I want the press and you to know we want to be (as) helpful as we can in doing that."

Al-Kadhimi praised the US for its "strategic, friendly relationship" with Iraq and hailed the US for its assistance in combating terrorist groups.

Today President Biden met with Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi of the Republic of Iraq. Together they discussed initiatives on climate, energy, education, combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, and their commitment to maintaining a strong partnership between the U.S. and Iraq. pic.twitter.com/b06fIOVHu5
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 26, 2021

It is worth noting that an estimated 2,500 US occupation troops remain in Iraq.

Biden is in Jeddah for a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan's leaders are also in attendance.

The US President had announced, earlier, an agreement to link the electric power network in Iraq with the network of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

On the other hand, the Prime Minister of the Iraqi Council, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, stressed Friday that anyone saying normalization will be brought up during the Jeddah conference is saying so with the intention of disrupting Iraq's restoration of its role in the region.

"[I] will discuss with (US President Joe) Biden the issue of the joint strategic agreement in the areas of health and economy," Al-Kadhimi said. "Iraq will be neither today nor tomorrow in any camp or military alliance."