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Iraqi President Discusses Donor Conference in Kuwait

Iraqi President Fuad Masum speaks during a joint news conference with the French President Francois Hollande (not pictured), after their meeting at the presidential palace in Baghdad, Iraq, January 2, 2017. REUTERS/Christophe Ena/Pool/Files
Iraqi President Fuad Masum speaks during a joint news conference with the French President Francois Hollande (not pictured), after their meeting at the presidential palace in Baghdad, Iraq, January 2, 2017. REUTERS/Christophe Ena/Pool/Files
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Iraqi President Discusses Donor Conference in Kuwait

Iraqi President Fuad Masum speaks during a joint news conference with the French President Francois Hollande (not pictured), after their meeting at the presidential palace in Baghdad, Iraq, January 2, 2017. REUTERS/Christophe Ena/Pool/Files
Iraqi President Fuad Masum speaks during a joint news conference with the French President Francois Hollande (not pictured), after their meeting at the presidential palace in Baghdad, Iraq, January 2, 2017. REUTERS/Christophe Ena/Pool/Files

Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al Sabah and Iraqi President Fuad Masum discussed Kuwait’s efforts to host an expanded conference of donor countries early next year.

The conference aims to support efforts of the Iraqi government to rebuild the devastated areas, which have been controlled by ISIS for more than 3 years. Baghdad estimates its need for reconstruction of these areas at about $100 billion.

Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid al-Jarallah announced in August that his country had launched extensive contacts with countries around the world, the World Bank and Iraq, to host a conference for the reconstruction of Iraq’s liberated areas. Kuwaiti sources later announced that Kuwait would host the conference in the first quarter of next year.

The Emir of Kuwait held talks with the Iraqi president in the presence of Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid Al-Hamad al-Sabah, in addition to senior Kuwaiti and Iraqi officials.

Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah said that the talks touched on bilateral relations, means of boosting cooperation in all fields for the sake of common interests.

In a press conference following the meeting, Masum said he noted Kuwait’s great interest in developing relations with Iraq, adding that he had felt flexibility and understanding from Kuwaiti leaderships and officials on resolving pending issues, such as the maritime borders and the issue of compensations.

Iraq seeks to ease its debt of the compensation file, as a result of the invasion of the former regime of Kuwait in August 1990. The United Nations estimates the debt at around 23 billion dollars, while the remaining amount to be settled by Iraq reaches $4.6 billion. However, the payment has been delayed since 2014, at the request of Baghdad, in view of the economic crisis suffered by the country due to low oil prices and the high cost of war against ISIS.

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Arab World

Uncertain Future for the PFLP-GC in Post-Assad Syria

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on April 18 (AP) 
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on April 18 (AP) 
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Uncertain Future for the PFLP-GC in Post-Assad Syria

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on April 18 (AP) 
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on April 18 (AP) 

The brief detention of Talal Naji, Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC), by Syrian authorities has renewed scrutiny over the status of Palestinian factions still operating in Syria, particularly those that aligned with the former Assad regime.

Naji’s arrest and swift release come amid a major political realignment following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024. Once one of the most active and heavily armed Palestinian groups in Syria, the PFLP-GC now faces an uncertain future, along with other factions that were long tolerated—or even supported—under Assad’s rule.

A well-informed Palestinian source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the new Syrian administration has appointed a figure known as Abu Abdul Rahman al-Shami to oversee the file of Palestinian factions. Since assuming the role, al-Shami has convened multiple meetings with faction representatives, including regular attendees from the PFLP-GC, to discuss the fate of their fighters, weapons, property, and military infrastructure.

According to the source, al-Shami has made it clear that the new government intends to hold accountable any individuals or groups implicated in crimes against Syrian civilians during the civil war. Palestinian factions have been instructed to surrender all weapons and military equipment, and to limit their activities to humanitarian and relief work. The PFLP-GC, the source said, has largely complied.

Despite the fall of the Assad regime, Naji and much of the PFLP-GC’s second- and third-tier leadership have remained in Syria. Its offices in Damascus reportedly continue to operate, though under heightened scrutiny. Other faction leaders, however, have fled. Among them are Khaled Abdul Majid (Popular Struggle Front), Ziyad al-Saghir (Fatah–Intifada), Mohammad al-Saeed (Liwa al-Quds), and Saed Abdel Al (Free Palestine Movement). Most are believed to have sought refuge in Lebanon.

Sources confirmed that several PFLP-GC fighters have been detained in recent weeks in connection with alleged war crimes committed during their cooperation with Assad’s forces. The Syrian government has also moved to seize faction offices and military installations across the country, including properties belonging to Fatah–Intifada, the Free Palestine Movement, and the Sa’iqa Forces. Sa’iqa’s leader, Mohammad Qais, remains in Syria.

In a further blow, authorities have reportedly frozen bank accounts belonging to some Palestinian factions, both in state and private banks, although it remains unclear whether the PFLP-GC is among them.

Additionally, it is widely believed that the PFLP-GC has handed over its military training camps, which were previously spread across Damascus countryside, Daraa, Aleppo, and Suwayda. “The situation is extremely sensitive, and everyone is anxious,” one Palestinian source told Asharq Al-Awsat. “It’s likely they’ve surrendered those sites.”

The sense of unease deepened last month when Syrian authorities detained two senior Islamic Jihad officials in Damascus: Khaled Khaled, head of the group’s Syria bureau, and Abu Ali Yasser, its chief organizational officer. Both remain in custody, and no official charges have been announced.

The current atmosphere of fear and uncertainty has driven faction leaders to avoid public comment. Most now insist on anonymity when speaking to local or international media.

Before the outbreak of the Syrian uprising in March 2011, Syria hosted more than a dozen Palestinian factions. As the conflict escalated, the Assad regime encouraged the formation of new pro-regime groups, composed largely of Palestinian refugees, to fight alongside its forces.