Iraqi PM Visits Shrines of Imams Musa al-Kadhim, Abu Hanifa

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visits the shrines of Imams Musa al-Kadhim and Abu Hanifa in Baghdad. (PM's media office)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visits the shrines of Imams Musa al-Kadhim and Abu Hanifa in Baghdad. (PM's media office)
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Iraqi PM Visits Shrines of Imams Musa al-Kadhim, Abu Hanifa

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visits the shrines of Imams Musa al-Kadhim and Abu Hanifa in Baghdad. (PM's media office)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visits the shrines of Imams Musa al-Kadhim and Abu Hanifa in Baghdad. (PM's media office)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi paid a visit on Tuesday to the shrines of Imams Musa al-Kadhim and Abu Hanifa in Baghdad.

The visits are part of “soft” diplomatic and local moves Kadhimi is making to gain the trust of citizens in his government, three months after he was appointed to his position.

A previous move was his reception of a number of Yazidis on the sixth anniversary of a massacre committed by ISIS against the community in Sinjar. The latest of the PM’s gestures was his reception on Monday of a teenager who was the victim of abuse by security forces affiliated with the Interior Ministry.

A statement from his office, said that he visited the shrines, “praying to God that He will protect Iraq and its people.”

Kadhimi also visited the headquarters of the Iraqi Fiqh Council, where he met with several scholars and clerics to discuss general affairs. He underscored the important role played by religious figures in pursuing the interests of the people. He also hailed their role in bolstering societal peace and stability in the country.

The council is among the highest Sunni religious authorities in Iraq and is a reference for several of Iraq’s Sunni community.

The premier also met with Hussein Ismail al-Sadr, one of Baghdad’s most prominent Shiite officials and a major member of the Sadr family.

Kadhimi’s visit was widely praised by the public, given its humanitarian and national motives. His visit to the shrines demonstrates his efforts to bolster national unity and bridge divides caused by years of sectarian violence after the 2003 US invasion.



France Highlights Its Role in Brokering Lebanon Ceasefire Deal

 Lebanese soldiers ride in a convoy in Mansouri, as they head to southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP)
Lebanese soldiers ride in a convoy in Mansouri, as they head to southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP)
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France Highlights Its Role in Brokering Lebanon Ceasefire Deal

 Lebanese soldiers ride in a convoy in Mansouri, as they head to southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP)
Lebanese soldiers ride in a convoy in Mansouri, as they head to southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP)

France’s foreign minister underlined his country’s role in brokering an agreement that ended fighting between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group alongside the US, saying the deal wouldn’t have been possible without France’s special relationship with its former protectorate.

“It’s a success for French diplomacy and we can be proud,” said the minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, speaking hours after the ceasefire went into effect Wednesday.

“It is true that the United States have a privileged relationship with Israel. But with Lebanon, it’s France that has very old ties, very close ties,” the minister added. “It would not have been possible to envisage a ceasefire in Lebanon without France being involved on the front line.”

France will be involved in monitoring the ceasefire, Barrot noted, with 700 French soldiers deployed as part of the 10,000-strong United Nations peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, that has been patrolling the border area between Lebanon and Israel for nearly 50 years.

The minister said France will also work to strengthen Lebanese troops that will deploy in the south of the country as part of the ceasefire, although he didn’t specify what that might include.