Baghdad, Washington Renew Commitment to Strategic Framework Agreement

A handout picture released by the prime minister's office shows Mohamed Shia al-Sudani arriving for the official handover ceremony at the Republican Palace, the government's seat, in Baghdad's green zone. (Iraq's prime minister's office/ AFP)
A handout picture released by the prime minister's office shows Mohamed Shia al-Sudani arriving for the official handover ceremony at the Republican Palace, the government's seat, in Baghdad's green zone. (Iraq's prime minister's office/ AFP)
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Baghdad, Washington Renew Commitment to Strategic Framework Agreement

A handout picture released by the prime minister's office shows Mohamed Shia al-Sudani arriving for the official handover ceremony at the Republican Palace, the government's seat, in Baghdad's green zone. (Iraq's prime minister's office/ AFP)
A handout picture released by the prime minister's office shows Mohamed Shia al-Sudani arriving for the official handover ceremony at the Republican Palace, the government's seat, in Baghdad's green zone. (Iraq's prime minister's office/ AFP)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani received on Thursday a telephone call from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who congratulated him on the October 27 formation of his government.

During the call, both sides affirmed their mutual commitment to the US-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement signed in 2009 and underscored the importance of strengthening and developing bilateral ties in various fields, according to a statement by the PM’s office.

Blinken also conveyed that the US is eager to work with the government and people of Iraq to improve respect for human rights, increase economic opportunities, advance Iraq’s energy independence, and address the climate crisis.

He reaffirmed the US commitment to supporting Iraq in the enduring defeat of ISIS and welcomed Sudani’s call for reforms and pledge to fight endemic corruption.

They further shared interest in preserving Iraq’s security, stability, and sovereignty.

Sudani has met with US Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski about four times since taking office.

Meanwhile, the Coordination Framework forces question Washington’s seriousness, whether in withdrawing from Iraq or establishing balanced relations with it, especially after the killing of Iran’s Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) deputy chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a drone strike near Baghdad airport in January 2020.

The Strategic Framework Agreement signed by the government of former Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and then-US President Barack Obama is divided into two parts. The first stipulates the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq by late 2011, and the second part ensures, among other things, keeping advisers and technicians to train Iraqi forces.

Following their withdrawal from Iraq in late 2011, former Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi asked for their return to help in defeating ISIS, which seized three provinces west of the country in June 2014.

However, after Iraq declared victory over ISIS in late 2017, the presence of US forces in the country sparked disputes among political parties, given that the US formed an international coalition to defeat the terrorist group including more than 60 countries.

On January 6, 2020, Iraq’s parliament issued a non-bonding decision compelling the government, then headed by Adel Abdul-Mahdi, to expel US troops in the aftermath of the US-targeted killing of Soleimani and Muhandis.

When Mustafa al-Kadhimi became prime minister, he engaged in long discussions with Washington to reconsider the agreement amid a comprehensive rejection of the American presence by many armed factions that targeted with missiles the fortified Green Zone, where the US embassy is located, for more than a year.

After two visits by Kadhimi to Washington, the Strategic Framework Agreement was renewed and both sides announced their commitment to it.



UN Chief Outlines Four Options for Embattled Palestinian Relief Agency UNRWA

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a press briefing during the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) at the Center des Expositions conference center in Nice, France, June 10, 2025. (Reuters)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a press briefing during the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) at the Center des Expositions conference center in Nice, France, June 10, 2025. (Reuters)
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UN Chief Outlines Four Options for Embattled Palestinian Relief Agency UNRWA

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a press briefing during the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) at the Center des Expositions conference center in Nice, France, June 10, 2025. (Reuters)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a press briefing during the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) at the Center des Expositions conference center in Nice, France, June 10, 2025. (Reuters)

A review of the embattled United Nations Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, ordered by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, has identified four possible ways forward for the organization that has lost US funding and been banned by Israel.

The proposals, seen by Reuters, are: inaction that could see the potential collapse of UNRWA; a reduction of services; the creation of an executive board to advise UNRWA; or maintaining UNRWA’s rights-based core while transferring services to host governments and the Palestinian Authority. While Guterres ordered the strategic assessment of UNRWA in April as part of his wider UN reform efforts, only the 193-member UN General Assembly can change UNRWA’s mandate.

UNRWA was established by the General Assembly in 1949 following the war surrounding the founding of Israel. It provides aid, health and education to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

“I believe it is imperative that Member States take action to protect the rights of Palestine refugees, the mandate of UNRWA and regional peace and security,” Guterres wrote in a letter dated on Monday and seen by Reuters submitting the UNRWA assessment to the General Assembly. The review comes after Israel adopted a law in October, which was enacted on January 30, that bans UNRWA's operation on Israeli land - including East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in a move not recognized internationally - and contact with Israeli authorities.

UNRWA is also dealing with a dire financial crisis, facing a $200-million deficit. The US was UNRWA's biggest donor, but former President Joe Biden paused funding in January 2024 after Israel accused about a dozen UNRWA staff of taking part in the deadly October 7, 2023, attack by the Palestinian Hamas group that triggered the war in Gaza. The funding halt was then extended by the US Congress and President Donald Trump.

FOUR OPTIONS

The UN has said nine UNRWA staff may have been involved in the Hamas attack and were fired. A Hamas commander in Lebanon - killed in September by Israel - was also found to have had an UNRWA job. The UN has vowed to investigate all accusations and repeatedly asked Israel for evidence, which it says has not been provided. Israel has long been critical of UNRWA, while UNRWA has said it has been the target of a "fierce disinformation campaign" to "portray the agency as a terrorist organization." Guterres and the UN Security Council have described UNRWA as the backbone of the aid response in Gaza.

The first possible option outlined by the UNRWA strategic assessment was inaction and the potential collapse of the agency, noting that “this scenario would exacerbate humanitarian need, heighten social unrest, and deepen regional fragility” and “represent a significant abandonment of Palestine refugees by the international community.”

The second option was to reduce services by “aligning UNRWA’s operations with a reduced and more predictable level of funding through service cuts and transfer of some functions to other actors.”

The third option was to create an executive board to advise and support UNRWA’s commissioner-general, enhance accountability and take responsibility for securing multi-year funding and aligning UNRWA’s funding and services. The final potential option would see UNRWA maintain its functions as custodian of Palestine refugee rights, registration, and advocacy for refugee access to services, “while progressively shifting service provision to host governments and the Palestinian Authority, with strong international commitment to funding.”