عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Iraq’s New President Calls for Speedy Government Formation

Newly-elected Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid (R) waves to the audience during a handover ceremony at the al-Salam presidential palace in Baghdad, Iraq, 17 October 2022. (EPA)
Newly-elected Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid (R) waves to the audience during a handover ceremony at the al-Salam presidential palace in Baghdad, Iraq, 17 October 2022. (EPA)
TT
TT

Iraq’s New President Calls for Speedy Government Formation

Newly-elected Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid (R) waves to the audience during a handover ceremony at the al-Salam presidential palace in Baghdad, Iraq, 17 October 2022. (EPA)
Newly-elected Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid (R) waves to the audience during a handover ceremony at the al-Salam presidential palace in Baghdad, Iraq, 17 October 2022. (EPA)

Iraq's newly-elected President Abdul Latif Rashid pledged Monday on taking office to throw his weight behind efforts to rapidly form a strong new government.

"The Iraqi people expect a new government to be formed rapidly, and that it be efficient and united," Rashid said on his inauguration at the presidential palace in Baghdad.

Rashid, 78, elected last Thursday to the largely ceremonial post reserved for Iraq's Kurdish minority, swiftly named Mohammed Shia al-Sudani as prime minister-designate.

Sudani's task now is to form a new government that would end a year of political gridlock in the war-scarred nation since general elections were held in October 2021.

But the movement of firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr, Sudani's rival in Iraq's majority Shiite camp, Saturday announced its refusal to join a Sudani-led government, igniting fears of renewed delays that are common in Iraq's multi-confessional politics.

Under the Iraqi constitution, the prime minister-designate has 30 days to form a government, a deadline that has often been missed.

"I will do everything I can to bring political forces closer and sponsor a dialogue," Rashid said, also vowing to work toward "solid and balanced relations with neighboring countries and the international community".

The stakes are high for the next cabinet, with a colossal $87 billion in revenues from oil exports locked up in the central bank's coffers.

The money can help rebuild infrastructure but it can only be spent after lawmakers approve a state budget presented by the new government.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Deal Compared to Swiss Cheese, Full of Gaps

Israelis block road in Jerusalem, demanding agreement implementation and hostage release (AFP)
Israelis block road in Jerusalem, demanding agreement implementation and hostage release (AFP)
TT
TT

Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Deal Compared to Swiss Cheese, Full of Gaps

Israelis block road in Jerusalem, demanding agreement implementation and hostage release (AFP)
Israelis block road in Jerusalem, demanding agreement implementation and hostage release (AFP)

The ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal reached between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday evening is facing a crisis that could prevent it from going forward before it gets Israeli approval or is put into effect.
The agreement is full of gaps, much like Swiss cheese. Despite outlining three phases aimed at bringing the war to a close, it is accompanied by Israeli military actions that continue to claim dozens of lives in Gaza.
Asharq Al-Awsat reviewed the deal’s terms and the different interpretations from both sides.
The first issue comes from the opening of the agreement’s appendix: Practical procedures and mechanisms to implement the agreement for the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and the return to a sustainable calm which would achieve a permanent ceasefire between the two sides.
What does “sustainable calm” mean? In Israel, officials say it means Israel has the right to resume fighting after the first phase. Palestinians, however, claim US President-elect Donald Trump’s administration has promised the war won’t restart. Both sides interpret the term differently.
The goal of the agreement is clear: release all Israeli prisoners—alive or dead—captured by Palestinians. In return, Israel will release a “negotiated number” of Palestinian prisoners.
The exchange is set to begin on “Day One,” the day the ceasefire takes effect, but it's still unclear when that will be.
In the first phase (42 days), the agreement calls for “a temporary halt to military operations by both sides and the withdrawal of the Israeli army eastward” from “high-population areas along the Gaza border, including the Gaza Valley.”
Hamas claims the maps provided for this were incomplete.
Even though the agreement mentions “the return of displaced people to their homes and withdrawal from Gaza Valley,” people will have to walk several kilometers and vehicles will be inspected, which could lead to disagreements and clashes.
As for humanitarian aid, the agreement allows for its entry starting on “Day One” (600 trucks daily, including 50 fuel trucks, with 300 heading to northern Gaza).
This includes fuel for the power plant and equipment for debris removal, rehabilitation, and hospital operations.
But the agreement doesn’t clarify how the aid will be distributed or who will control it. Will Hamas continue to oversee it? Will Israel agree? If Hamas takes charge, what happens then? This could lead to further complications.
The criteria for the first phase of the prisoner exchange are clear, but the agreement states that “the prisoner exchange terms for the first phase will not apply to the second phase.”
Hamas wants more Palestinian prisoners released, but Israel rejects this. If disagreements have arisen over clear criteria in the first phase, what will happen when the criteria are more vague?
The agreement sets a deadline of “Day 16” for indirect talks to finalize the conditions for the second phase, particularly regarding the prisoner exchange.
One clause is seen by Israel as not requiring it to carry out the second phase, while Hamas views it as a guarantee to prevent the war from restarting. The clause states: “Qatar, the US, and Egypt will make every effort to ensure continued indirect negotiations until both sides agree on the terms for the second phase.”
However, the phrase “make every effort” does not create a binding legal obligation.
The agreement is full of gaps that could become major problems for both sides. While this doesn’t mean the deal should be dismissed, it shows that many parts of the agreement are fragile and depend on mutual trust and good intentions—both of which are lacking in this region.