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Meetings in Washington Pave Way for Establishment of Strategic Iraqi-US Ties

This handout photo released by the Iraqi prime minister's press office shows premier Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (C) overseeing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Iraq's Electricity Authority and the the US General Electric company in Baghdad on February 16, 2023. (Iraqi Prime Minister's Press Office / AFP)
This handout photo released by the Iraqi prime minister's press office shows premier Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (C) overseeing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Iraq's Electricity Authority and the the US General Electric company in Baghdad on February 16, 2023. (Iraqi Prime Minister's Press Office / AFP)
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Meetings in Washington Pave Way for Establishment of Strategic Iraqi-US Ties

This handout photo released by the Iraqi prime minister's press office shows premier Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (C) overseeing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Iraq's Electricity Authority and the the US General Electric company in Baghdad on February 16, 2023. (Iraqi Prime Minister's Press Office / AFP)
This handout photo released by the Iraqi prime minister's press office shows premier Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (C) overseeing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Iraq's Electricity Authority and the the US General Electric company in Baghdad on February 16, 2023. (Iraqi Prime Minister's Press Office / AFP)

Iraq and the United States concluded on Wednesday week-long negotiations in Washington that tackled the future of relations between their countries in line with their 2008 Strategic Framework Agreement (SFA).

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and Secretary of State Antony Blinken co-chaired a Higher Coordinating Committee (HCC), in accordance with the SFA for a Relationship of Friendship and Cooperation between the US and Iraq, said a State Department statement.

“The delegations reaffirmed their determination to deepen the strategic relationship across the full range of bilateral issues, for the sake of their respective national interests and their shared interest in regional stability,” it continued.

This meeting marked the first time the HCC focused on economic cooperation, energy sector development, and climate change – a sign of a maturing strategic partnership under the SFA, it added.

The Iraqi delegation included high-level representatives from the Council of Representatives, the Central Bank, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Oil, the Ministry of Planning, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Electricity, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Climate Envoy, and the Kurdistan Regional Government.

In addition to the Secretary of State, the US delegation included National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Change John Kerry, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Energy and Infrastructure Amos Hochstein, Coordinator for Global Anti-Corruption Richard Nephew, and National Security Council Middle East Coordinator Brett McGurk, as well as senior officials from the Departments of State, Treasury, Energy, and Commerce.

“The two sides discussed challenges facing Iraq’s economy, including the parallel currency exchange markets,” continued the statement.

“The United States welcomed the Iraqi government’s efforts to enact economic and monetary-policy reforms, modernize the financial and banking system, combat corruption, and prevent manipulation of the financial system – actions that can help boost Iraq’s economic prospects, including strengthening financial and currency markets,” it said.

“The US delegation reiterated support for Iraq’s ongoing efforts to build technical capacity and implement international standards to protect the banking system from financial crimes, money laundering, and terrorist financing.”

“The two sides resolved to continue working together to modernize Iraq’s financial system for the betterment of the Iraqi people,” stressed the statement.

“The US and Iraqi delegations shared the view that pursuing an ambitious energy-independence agenda is necessary to maximize Iraq’s economic prosperity and safeguard its sovereignty. The two delegations acknowledged that Iraq has a historic opportunity to invest in energy infrastructure initiatives designed to improve electricity services for the Iraqi people, secure Iraq’s energy self-sufficiency, and mitigate environmental damage to both the global climate and Iraqi public health,” it noted.

“To this end, the two sides resolved to accelerate efforts to capture flared gas, upgrade natural gas distribution infrastructure and reduce methane leakage, regionally interconnect Iraq’s electricity grid, modernize Iraq’s electricity infrastructure, and explore renewable energy opportunities.”

“The US delegation lauded Iraq’s commitment to regional electricity interconnection projects with Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority,” it added.

Head of the Center for Political Thinking in Iraq Dr. Ihssan Shmary told Asharq Al-Awsat that the joint Iraqi-US statement “draws the roadmap” of relations between the two countries, notably with a Baghdad government that was formed by the pro-Iran Coordination Framework.

The meetings in Washington will “test the intentions” of officials when it comes to translating the statements into action, he remarked.

Previous governments failed to “revive” or “invest” in the strategic framework agreement, significantly because of the balance of power in Iraq and Iran’s “veto” when it comes to developing relations between Baghdad and Washington, he explained.

“It now appears as though we are facing a new phase that will test Iraq and its political class when it comes to relations with Washington, especially among the Coordination Framework,” Shmary noted.

It is now up to the PM to decide whether he would forge ahead with the SFA, the Coordination Framework to decide whether it will view the US as an enemy or partner, and Iran to decide whether it will allow this relationship to grow, he stressed.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani oversaw in Washington on Thursday the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Electricity and General Electric.

The agreement falls in line with the “framework of the government program that aims to develop the electricity sector in Iraq,” said a statement from Sudani’s office.

The MoU covers developing the electrical production and increasing the efficiency of the electrical grid, as well as transportation, maintenance, staff training, and reducing carbon emissions to support the energy transition in Iraq.

The government is serious in supporting the energy file and providing full support to the electricity ministry in order to raise production and resolve the electricity crisis to ease the suffering of the people, Sudani was quoted as saying.

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Arab World

UN Probe: RSF Actions in Sudan's el-Fasher Point to Genocide

Forces affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces in the city of el-Fasher, Darfur region (AFP)
Forces affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces in the city of el-Fasher, Darfur region (AFP)
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UN Probe: RSF Actions in Sudan's el-Fasher Point to Genocide

Forces affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces in the city of el-Fasher, Darfur region (AFP)
Forces affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces in the city of el-Fasher, Darfur region (AFP)

Mass killings of non-Arab communities when the Rapid Support Forces captured the Sudanese city of el-Fasher bears hallmarks that point to genocide, an independent UN probe said in a new report on Thursday.

At the end of October last year, the RSF took over the city - which had been the last remaining stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the Darfur region in the west of the country - with thousands of people killed and raped during three days of horror, the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan said.

It followed an 18-month siege where the RSF imposed conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of non-Arab communities, in particular the Zaghawa and the Fur, ‌the report stated.

The ‌UN mission said it found evidence that the RSF carried out a pattern ‌of ⁠coordinated and repeated ⁠targeting of individuals based on ethnicity, gender and perceived political affiliation, including mass killings, rape and torture, as well as inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s physical destruction - core elements of the crime of genocide under international law.

The final draft of the report was shared with the Government of Sudan but no response was received, while the RSF did not respond to the UN mission's request to meet with its leadership, the report stated. The RSF and SAF did not immediately respond to requests from Reuters for comment.

In the past, the RSF has ⁠denied such abuses - saying the accounts have been manufactured by its enemies and ‌making counter-accusations against them.

"The scale, coordination, and public endorsement of the operation ‌by senior RSF leadership demonstrate that the crimes committed in and around el-Fasher were not random excesses of war" said Mohamad ‌Chande Othman, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan.

"They formed part of a planned and organized operation ‌that bears the defining characteristics of genocide," he added.

Before its takeover el-Fasher's population mainly consisted of the Zaghawa, a non-Arab community, while displacement camps around the area were comprised of the Fur community, as well as Berti, Masalit and Tama, the report said.

"Survivors describe explicit threats to 'clean' the city," the report stated. Alongside attacking displacement camps, communal kitchens and medical centers ‌with drones and heavy weapons, the RSF also carried out killings, looting, beatings and sexual violence in el-Fasher, the report stated.

The RSF's "exterminatory rhetoric" and other violations indicated ⁠its intent to destroy ⁠the Zaghawa and Fur communities in whole or in part, the report said.

"Witnesses heard the Rapid Support Forces saying, 'Is there anyone Zaghawa among you? If we find Zaghawa, we will kill them all'," the report said.

Survivors recounted point-blank executions of civilians, as well as bodies of men, women and children filling roads, the report stated.

Women and girls aged 7 to 70 years old from non-Arab communities, particularly the Zaghawa were raped and subject to other acts of sexual violence, including whipping and forced nudity, the report stated.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the international response to the report and the situation in Sudan had to be emphatic and urged for a ceasefire.

"The findings of this UN report are truly horrific - atrocities including systematic starvation, torture, killings, rape and deliberate ethnic targeting used on the most horrendous scale during the Rapid Support Forces siege of el-Fasher," she said in a statement.

The UN mission was mandated by members of the Human Rights Council, following backing from countries that included Britain, to urgently investigate violations and abuses under international law in and around el-Fasher.

Arab World

Sudanese Political, Civil Groups Propose Ramadan Truce

The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)
The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)
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Sudanese Political, Civil Groups Propose Ramadan Truce

The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)
The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)

A broad coalition of Sudanese political and civil forces has made an urgent appeal to the leadership of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), calling for a “comprehensive humanitarian truce” during the holy month of Ramadan.

The initiative calls for a temporary cessation of hostilities, guarantees for the protection of civilians, and unhindered humanitarian aid delivery, amid increasingly dire humanitarian conditions as Sudanese citizens observe their fourth consecutive Ramadan under gunfire and shelling.

More than ten Sudanese political parties made the appeal, some of which are part of the Civil Democratic Alliance of the Forces of the Revolution (“Sumoud”), led by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

Prominent signatories include the National Umma Party, the Federal Gathering, and the Sudanese Congress Party.

The document was also endorsed by parties outside the “Sumoud” alliance, most notably the Arab Baath Socialist Party and the Democratic Unionist Party, alongside various civil and trade union groups.

The appeal urges both warring parties — the army and the RSF — to announce a humanitarian truce beginning on the first day of Ramadan. The proposal includes a ceasefire, the safeguarding of civilian facilities, the opening of safe corridors for relief organizations, the immediate release of civilian detainees, and the initiation of prisoner exchange arrangements under international supervision to ensure compliance with humanitarian law.

It also calls for clear monitoring and implementation mechanisms to prevent either side from exploiting the truce for military gains.

The signatories stressed that the initiative comes in response to the worsening humanitarian crisis, particularly among vulnerable groups such as women, children, and the elderly, and to the mounting threats to the lives of millions, which they say require urgent intervention.

This marks the second initiative put forward by political and civil forces to halt the war since its outbreak in 2023. The first resulted in the signing of what became known as the “Addis Ababa Declaration” between the Civil Democratic Forces Alliance (Taqaddum) and the RSF. The declaration was addressed to the army leadership, which neither rejected nor signed it.

Since the fall of the cities of El-Fasher and Babanusa, as well as the town of Heglig in West Kordofan State, clashes between the army and the RSF intensified in South and North Kordofan before subsiding in recent weeks and shifting into more “technical” warfare.

This phase has seen the increased use of combat drones, jamming devices, guided artillery, and aerial munitions, leading to a rise in civilian casualties and injuries.

Arab World

Anger in Iraq Over Use of ‘Greatest Arab Poet’ in Ramadan Ad

The late Iraqi poet Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri serves tea to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, as portrayed in a Ramadan advertisement
The late Iraqi poet Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri serves tea to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, as portrayed in a Ramadan advertisement
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Anger in Iraq Over Use of ‘Greatest Arab Poet’ in Ramadan Ad

The late Iraqi poet Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri serves tea to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, as portrayed in a Ramadan advertisement
The late Iraqi poet Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri serves tea to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, as portrayed in a Ramadan advertisement

Baghdad - A promotional video produced by a local platform and sponsored by several companies has sparked widespread criticism in Iraq over content described as “irresponsible,” according to the Iraqi Writers and Authors Union, for allegedly insulting the “Greatest Arab Poet,” Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri (1899–1997), as well as former royal-era prime minister Nuri al-Said (1888–1958).

Although the production company branded the advertisement “Unified Iraq,” it depicted al-Jawahiri in an AI-generated image serving tea to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani inside his office. In a similar scene, Nuri al-Said was shown serving tea to former parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, triggering a wave of public outrage.

Alongside the controversy over the AI-generated portrayals of al-Jawahiri and al-Said, another debate erupted after the video showed US Chargé d’Affaires Joshua Harris, British Ambassador Irfan Siddiq, French Ambassador Patrick Durel, and German Ambassador Daniel Krebber at a banquet, appearing to be hosted by Farhad Alaaldin, the Iraqi prime minister’s adviser for foreign affairs.

The advertisement also briefly featured the late Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani, holding an umbrella while walking through the streets of Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, raising further questions about its purpose.

While the video included a song about “a unified Iraq as a homeland of peace,” critics said its central narrative — built around a homeless young beggar — was confusing and poorly defined. Sources close to the production team told Asharq Al-Awsat that the creators had “their own artistic methods” of expressing the idea.

Government Distances Itself

Amid the mounting backlash, the prime minister’s office expressed rejection of “the virtual video in which al-Jawahiri appeared in a manner inconsistent with the prime minister’s respect and appreciation for his literary and national stature.”

Al-Sudani instructed the Communications and Media Commission to launch an urgent investigation into the entities that produced, promoted, or published the advertisement, citing its alleged offense to cultural icons and state institutions, as well as what he described as the irresponsible and unprofessional use of artificial intelligence technologies.

He also signaled the possibility of legal action against the party responsible for producing what he called “the offensive video against Iraq and its national symbols.”

In contrast, the production company asserted that the PM’s office had prior knowledge of the project, and that the same applied to al-Halbousi. However, sources denied being aware of the inclusion of al-Jawahiri and Nuri al-Said in the work.

The sources also suggested that a government official may have been involved in facilitating the production in cooperation with Al-Bayan University, whose building and offices appeared in the advertisement.

“Deliberate Insult”

The Iraqi Writers and Authors Union condemned what it called an “insult to the immortal al-Jawahiri” after the video showed him serving tea to the prime minister.

In a statement, the union said the act reflected “a deliberate offense to a poet distinguished by his immense cultural and moral value, and his well-known national and humanitarian positions.”

It urged relevant authorities to take a firm and deterrent stance against “irresponsible acts aimed at distorting facts and undermining Iraq’s national symbols.”

The union added that al-Jawahiri remained a national symbol “we proudly present to the world and refuse to see insulted by any party.”

The union was founded in al-Jawahiri’s home in 1959 and he became Iraq’s first journalists’ syndicate head the same year.

Claims of Prior Approvals

Facing intense criticism, the advertisement’s author and head of the production company said all participating political figures had approved the details of the project and filming inside their offices.

She stated that the scenes featuring al-Sudani and al-Halbousi were real, with only the figures of al-Jawahiri and Nuri al-Said later added using artificial intelligence.

In a statement on Instagram, al-Jumaili said the project took two months to complete and was reviewed by several international parties before being shown in Iraq, adding that “no step was taken without official approvals.” She did not specify the nature of those entities or whether the political figures were aware of the AI portrayals alongside them.

She argued that the backlash was politically driven and overlooked the advertisement’s positive messages, later explaining that the tea-serving scenes symbolized a “national identity” passed from past intellectual and political leaders to a new generation of leaders.