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Iraq’s Kazemi Promoted as the Sole Alternative to Zurfi

A woman pushes a cart in Baghdad's Tahrir Square (AP)
A woman pushes a cart in Baghdad's Tahrir Square (AP)
    Baghdad, Washington – Asharq Al-Awsat
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Iraq’s Kazemi Promoted as the Sole Alternative to Zurfi

A woman pushes a cart in Baghdad's Tahrir Square (AP)
A woman pushes a cart in Baghdad's Tahrir Square (AP)

Iraq’s current Prime Minister-designate Adnan al-Zurfi is determined on forming the country’s next government, however, Iraqi chief of intelligence, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, is strengthening his position as the "sole alternative" to Zurfi.

Unlike previous times, when leaders of Shiite blocs tabled three names for prime minister at a time, they have now agreed on naming Kazemi.

Despite gaining consensus from several Shiite blocs, it remains unknown if armed factions such as Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, which is close to Iran, will approve Kazemi’s nomination.

“If a parliamentary vote is held for Zurfi, Sadrist Movement lawmakers will vote for him, and if Kazemi is passed, then the deputies will support him too,” Sadrist Movement official Amir Al-Kananni told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“The Sadrist movement has no particular position on both candidates,” Al-Kananni said.

Kazemi, who is perceived as close to Washington, appears no different than Zurfi, who is also “accused” of having the same close ties.

Moreover, his name was not proposed during discussions among the seven-member Shiite committee that was tasked with nominating a premier. Their failure to reach an agreement on a candidate prompted President Barham Salih to name Zurfi.

In other news, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that the White House will start a "strategic" dialogue with the Iraqi authorities in the middle of June, adding that a variety of issues, including possible future American military deployments, will be on the agenda.

“It’s important that our two governments work together to stop any reversal of the gains we’ve made in our efforts to defeat ISIS and stabilize the country,” Pompeo said.

The dialogue will cover “all strategic issues between our two countries,” Pompeo explained, “including the future presence of the United States forces” in Iraq “and how best to support an independent and sovereign Iraq.”

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MSF Suspends Operations at Key Hospital in Sudan's Capital

FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
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MSF Suspends Operations at Key Hospital in Sudan's Capital

FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)

Medical aid agency MSF said on Friday it has been forced to suspend its activities at one of the few remaining hospitals in southern Khartoum due to repeated attacks, cutting off yet another lifeline for those who remain in the Sudanese capital.
War has been raging in Sudan since April 2023, sparked by a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule, triggering the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.
The hospital, which lies in territory controlled by the RSF, helped treat the victims of frequent airstrikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces, as well as hundreds of malnourished women and children in an area where two neighborhoods have been judged at risk of famine, reported Reuters.
"In the 20 months MSF teams have worked alongside hospital staff and volunteers, Bashair Hospital has experienced repeated incidents of armed fighters entering the hospital with weapons and threatening medical staff, often demanding fighters be treated before other patients," MSF said in a statement.
"Despite extensive engagements with all stakeholders, these attacks have continued in recent months. MSF has now taken the very difficult decision to suspend all medical activities in the hospital."
The fighting in Sudan has cut off up to 80% of hospitals in conflict areas, where millions who cannot afford to escape the violence remain. Civilians face frequent air and artillery fire and hunger as supplies are blocked by both warring parties and prices skyrocket.
Medical facilities, including MSF-supported ones that have suspended operations, have frequently come under attack by RSF soldiers demanding treatment or looting supplies. Bashair Hospital has served more than 25,000 people, MSF said, including 9,000 hurt by blasts, gunshot wounds, and other violence.
"Sometimes dozens of people arrived at the hospital at the same time after shelling or airstrikes on residential areas and markets," MSF said in the statement, citing an incident on Sunday where an airstrike one kilometer away drove 50 people to the emergency room, 12 of them already dead.