Iraq PM’s Visit to US Generates Positive Impact at Home

US President Donald Trump receives Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in the Oval Office at the White House (Prime Minister Media Office)
US President Donald Trump receives Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in the Oval Office at the White House (Prime Minister Media Office)
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Iraq PM’s Visit to US Generates Positive Impact at Home

US President Donald Trump receives Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in the Oval Office at the White House (Prime Minister Media Office)
US President Donald Trump receives Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in the Oval Office at the White House (Prime Minister Media Office)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's recent visit to the US has been praised by some Iraqi factions but strongly rejected by a number of Iran-affiliated groups.

Member of the parliamentary foreign relations committee Dhafer al-Ani said that despite the unjustified exaggeration and intentional underestimation of its achievements, the Prime Minister's visit was “successful by all standards."

Ani told Asharq Al-Awsat that ripping the benefits of the visit depends on the government’s ability to carry out effective reforms which will enable it to win the confidence of the international community and the support of the Iraqis.

Dean of the Political Science Faculty at al-Mustansiriya University Khaled Abdelilah, in remarks to the newspaper, said some Iraqi parties demanded Kadhimi for guarantees on the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq at a time when Washington discusses means to fight ISIS.

He indicated that signing an agreement with a major US company worth over one billion dollars is the key to bringing back US companies to Iraq.

Kadhimi seeks to gain the support he needs for his government. He is after bilateral deals by activating the economic, oil, aid, and investment agreement signed between the two parties.

The head of the Iraqi Advisory Council, Farhad Alaaldin, confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the strategic dialogue between Baghdad and Washington remains the most important aspect of the visit.

Alaaldin indicated that other major issues were discussed such as oil, the economy, and the coronavirus pandemic, especially that the visit is the result of the first round of talks that began in June.

He indicated that the US stressed the importance of the strategic dialogue given that the Iraqi government needs the support of Washington to face the financial and economic challenges as well as its fight against ISIS.

However, Alaaldin pointed out that this support is not unconditional, especially after the parliament’s decision to remove US forces from Iraq. He also believes that during his talks in Washington, Kadhimi was under tremendous political pressure from the Iraqi forces that reject improved relations with the US.



Tunisians Protest Against President as Jailed Politicians Begin Hunger Strike

Figures detained on conspiracy charges in Tunisia - ( Ghazi Chaouachi official social media page)
Figures detained on conspiracy charges in Tunisia - ( Ghazi Chaouachi official social media page)
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Tunisians Protest Against President as Jailed Politicians Begin Hunger Strike

Figures detained on conspiracy charges in Tunisia - ( Ghazi Chaouachi official social media page)
Figures detained on conspiracy charges in Tunisia - ( Ghazi Chaouachi official social media page)

Hundreds of Tunisians staged two protest rallies on Wednesday against what they say is the authoritarian rule of President Kais Saied and demanded the release of political prisoners, while six detained opposition figures held a hunger strike.

Saied seized extra powers in 2021 when he shut down the elected parliament and moved to rule by decree before assuming authority over the judiciary. The opposition described his move as a coup, Reuters reported.

Supporters of the opposition Free Constitutional Party gathered in the capital Tunis to demand the release of their detained leader Abir Moussi. They chanted slogans such as "Saied, dictator, your turn has come," and "Free Abir".

"What is happening is true tyranny, no freedom for the opposition, no freedom for the media. Any word can send you to prison," one protester, Hayat Ayari, told Reuters.

Hundreds of supporters of another opposition party, the Salvation Front, staged a separate rally, also in Tunis, to demand the release of detained politicians, activists and journalists.

Six prominent opposition figures detained on conspiracy charges have begun a hunger strike in prison to protest against their impending trial, their lawyers said on Wednesday.

Abdelhamid Jelassi, Jawhar Ben Mbarek, Khiyam Turki, Ridha Belhaj, Issam Chebbi and Ghazi Chaouachi - all detained in 2023 during a crackdown on the opposition - have refused to participate in what they say is an "unfair trial".

Saied said in 2023 that the detainees were "traitors and terrorists" and that the judges who acquitted them were their accomplices.

The detainees have denied any wrongdoing and have said they were preparing an initiative aimed at uniting Tunisia's fragmented opposition.

Most leaders of political parties are now in prison including two of Saied's most prominent opponents, Moussi and Rached Ghannouchi, the head of the Ennahda party.

The government says there is democracy in Tunisia and Saied says he will not be a dictator, but that what he calls a corrupt elite must be held accountable.