Differences over Implementation of Political Agreement Delays Iraq Budget Approval

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani speaks during a vote at the parliament in Baghdad, Iraq, October 27, 2022. Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office/Handout via REUTERS
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani speaks during a vote at the parliament in Baghdad, Iraq, October 27, 2022. Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office/Handout via REUTERS
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Differences over Implementation of Political Agreement Delays Iraq Budget Approval

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani speaks during a vote at the parliament in Baghdad, Iraq, October 27, 2022. Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office/Handout via REUTERS
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani speaks during a vote at the parliament in Baghdad, Iraq, October 27, 2022. Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office/Handout via REUTERS

The approval of the Iraqi budget is likely to be delayed until sharp differences are resolved between the Sunni and Shiite parties over the implementation of the political agreement that led to the formation of the government of Mohammad Shia al-Sudani.

The agreement, which brought together the Coordinating Framework with Sunni and Shiite parties, included a comprehensive settlement of controversial files, such as the budget and the amendment of laws, most notably the general amnesty, accountability, and justice.

In the event of the failure to implement the agreement, the deal that led to the formation of the government will collapse, as stated by deputies from the Sunni parties.

According to political sources, the adoption of the budget could be hindered with the collapse of the agreement. In fact, the leaders of the Coordination Framework requested to review the law, and reduced the ceiling of the demands agreed upon with the Progress Party, which is headed by Speaker of Parliament Mohammad al-Halbousi.

With Parliament’s attempts to pass the budget law, the Sunni parties received indications from the Coordination Framework that the latter went back on the political agreement. These indications were strengthened following a decision by the leader of the State of Law Coalition, Nuri al-Maliki, and the head of the Badr Organization, Hadi al-Amiri, to review the agreement with the Sunni forces, before forming the government, as reported by well-informed sources.

According to the information, “Al-Maliki and Al-Amiri believe that the political agreement offered great concessions to the Sunni forces,” and that the “time has come to lower the ceiling, before approving the budget.”

However, the desire of the Shiite parties to amend the terms of the government agreement does not enjoy unanimity among the Coordination Framework, as some parties fear it would shake the balance that Sudani’s government needs to survive.

In parallel, sources noted that the leader of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq movement, Qais Khazali, received a warning from Tehran against “hampering the required partnerships, at a sensitive time in the region”, and emphasizing the need for calm.

The Progress Party fears that strategic projects for the reconstruction of liberated cities will be disrupted, as a result of manipulation of its share in the financial budget, which was initially agreed upon with the Coordination Framework.



Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.