FILE PHOTO: UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen attends a news conference at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland October 2, 2019. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen attends a news conference at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland October 2, 2019. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
Delegations from Turkey, Russia, and Iran have met Tuesday in Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan for the 17th meeting of the Astana peace process that aims to find a solution to the decade-long crisis in Syria.
Syrian government and opposition representatives are attending the process alongside the UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen. Delegations from the UN, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon are also attending as observers.
The Turkish delegation is headed by Ambassador Selçuk Ünal, the foreign ministry’s Syria Director-General, while Russia is represented by President Vladimir Putin’s Special Representative for Syria, Aleksandr Lavrentyev, and Iran by Ali Asgar Haji, a senior adviser to the Iranian foreign minister on special political affairs.
The Syrian opposition is participating under the chairmanship of Ahmet Tuma. The Syrian government delegation is headed by Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Susan.
Participants will focus on discussing Pedersen’s “step for step” proposal as well as maintaining the ceasefire and the situation “on the ground” in several Syrian regions, a well-informed source told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“The file of detainees is expected to occupy an important space against the backdrop of a Russian endeavor to achieve progress after a long stumble in the previous rounds,” they said.
“Moreover, the file of the Constitutional Committee will be strongly present,” they added, noting that Syria’s Constitutional Committee is set to convene another round next month.
Speaking under the conditions of anonymity, the source noted that Moscow wasn’t too excited about Pedersen’s proposal because it believes the approach undermines the work of the Constitutional Committee and Russia’s prioritizing of a political settlement for the war-torn country.
Nevertheless, no official comment was made by Russia on Pedersen’s proposal.
What was remarkable was the Russian delegation starting discussions at the Astana Process by directing criticism of the Syrian opposition and holding it responsible for the stalemate that afflicted the work of the Constitutional Committee.
Tents housing displaced Palestinians stand amid summer heat in Gaza City, June 20, 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Representatives of bodies tasked with Gaza's post-war governance and reconstruction will gather in Cyprus next week, Nicosia and an official with the US-backed Board of Peace said Wednesday, with Israeli media describing the meeting as a chance for a "reset".
The committee of Palestinian technocrats who are meant to assume day-to-day governance of the territory will also attend, a committee member told AFP.
Cypriot government spokesperson Constantinos Letymbiotis said the meeting would take place next Tuesday and Wednesday.
A Board of Peace official told AFP that it "regularly holds internal meetings of its component elements" and the "meeting planned for Cyprus is no different".
The board, he added, "is actively preparing measures to advance reconstruction and governance for the people of Gaza".
The Times of Israel reported that representatives of the various bodies operating under the board's framework would reassess their strategy after a "difficult" first six months that produced few results.
The Israeli news site cited an Arab diplomat and a Palestinian official as describing the gathering as an opportunity to "reset" and "recalibrate".
The Board of Peace was established earlier this year as part of a US-backed ceasefire plan for Gaza endorsed by the UN Security Council.
The initiative aims to facilitate a transition away from Hamas rule while supporting the restoration of civilian administration and basic services.
However progress has been slow, and the Palestinian technocratic committee has yet to even enter Gaza.
The member of the committee said the Cyprus meeting would discuss "the committee's transfer to Gaza and the commencement of its work".
Under the stalled second phase of the US-backed deal, Israel was to gradually pull out of the territory and Hamas was to hand over its weapons, neither of which has happened.
US Forces Killed ISIS Leader in Syria Airstrike, Central Command Sayshttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5288022-us-forces-killed-isis-leader-syria-airstrike-central-command-says
A still from a video released by US Central Command on Friday showing US Air Force F-16 fighter jets refueling mid-air during a patrol mission over the Middle East (CENTCOM)
US Forces Killed ISIS Leader in Syria Airstrike, Central Command Says
A still from a video released by US Central Command on Friday showing US Air Force F-16 fighter jets refueling mid-air during a patrol mission over the Middle East (CENTCOM)
The US military conducted an airstrike in northwestern Syria last week that killed a senior ISIS leader, US Central Command said on Wednesday.
The strike, carried out on Friday, was part "of ongoing US efforts to disrupt and eliminate terrorists seeking to attack Americans abroad or the US homeland" and killed Ali Husayn al-Ulaywi, it said in a statement on X.
ISIS has declared a new phase of operations in Syria against the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, carrying out a spate of attacks since February. Last year, Sharaa's government joined the US-led coalition fighting ISIS.
On Saturday, the militant group claimed responsibility for an attack near the city of Manbij in Syria's northeastern Aleppo province.
ISIS controlled around a quarter or more of Syria at the peak of its power during the Syrian civil war a decade ago, before being driven out of the territory by a US-led coalition and other foes.
Barrack Pushes Baghdad and Erbil Toward Oil Dispute Settlementhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5288002-barrack-pushes-baghdad-and-erbil-toward-oil-dispute-settlement
Barrack Pushes Baghdad and Erbil Toward Oil Dispute Settlement
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani receives US envoy Tom Barrack in Erbil on June 16, 2026 (Government Media)
Kurdish politicians say US envoy Tom Barrack discussed possible ways to resolve the long-running oil dispute with Baghdad during his visit to Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan Region, last week. However, they ruled out the possibility that the country's severe financial crisis would lead to the passage of a permanent federal law regulating natural resources.
Since March 2007, when the federal government led by Nouri al-Maliki submitted the first draft of the legislation, successive parliamentary terms have failed to pass a law that was intended to define how natural resources are produced and revenues distributed. Instead, political forces have relied on fragile political understandings to manage the issue.
Discussion over the law resurfaced following Barrack's visit to Erbil on June 16, 2026, during which he held meetings with regional government officials and leaders of the two main Kurdish parties. Local platforms circulated reports suggesting that the US envoy was "optimistic about Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi's ability to resolve the traditional disputes with Erbil."
Former Kurdish member of the Iraqi parliament Majid Shankali told Asharq Al-Awsat that Barrack discussed strengthening US-Iraqi cooperation in the energy sector, both with Baghdad and Erbil, as well as modernizing the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline, through which Iraqi oil is transported to Syria and onward to the Mediterranean
Former lawmaker Mayada Al-Najjar said the oil dispute between Baghdad and Erbil has moved "from a stage of stagnation to one of serious negotiations."
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Najjar said that "communications between Baghdad and Erbil have gained clear momentum in recent weeks, with exchanges of visits and meetings among senior officials focused on resuming oil exports, settling financial issues, and preparing the ground for the passage of an oil and gas law."
What Is the Root of the Dispute?
Observers tend to believe that political disagreements have always been the primary obstacle to passing the law. At the same time, disputes over the interpretation of constitutional provisions, including the powers of the Kurdistan Region, have remained unresolved in most political settlements.
The dispute continues over whether the Kurdistan Region has the right to contract directly with foreign companies and pursue independent oil projects, or whether the federal government is the sole authority empowered to do so under the constitution and existing laws. Sharp differences also persist regarding discovered oil fields and the nature of contracts signed, whether under service agreements or production-sharing arrangements.
The Kurdistan Region attempted to address the legal vacuumwhen its parliament passed a regional oil and gas law in August 2007. However, Iraq's Federal Supreme Court effectively nullified the legislation when it issued a ruling in February 2022 challenging its legal basis.
"There is no hope in the foreseeable future of passing an oil and gas law," Shankali said, citing "Baghdad's strong tendency to consolidate full centralized control over the region's oil resources."
Shankali, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, said Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi "will not be able to pass an oil and gas law through the Iraqi parliament without an agreement among the political blocs represented in parliament." He expressed regret that "the current parliament has yet to reach a formula acceptable to Erbil, Baghdad, and the oil-producing provinces that would allow the law to be passed and finally end disputes that have persisted for more than 20 years."
He predicted that political forces would continue "managing the crisis, as before, through temporary agreements between the federal government and the regional government." That would mean maintaining the latest arrangement that led to the adoption of the three-year federal budget law during the government of Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.
In June 2023, political forces in Baghdad, led by the Coordination Framework and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, agreed on a financial settlement under which the Kurdistan Region would deliver 250,000 barrels of oil per day after deducting the region's share for domestic consumption. The agreement also allowed Kirkuk crude to be transported through the Kurdistan pipeline to Türkiye's Ceyhan port, in exchange for the federal government's commitment to pay the region's share of the state budget.
"In the coming phase, this agreement could be further developed between Baghdad and Erbil, given all sides' desire to confront the severe financial crisis," Shankali said.
Masoud Barzani, with Mazloum Abdi beside him, during talks with US envoy Tom Barrack in Erbil (File photo: Kurdistan Democratic Party)
Positive Signs
Sobhi Al-Mandalawi, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, pointed to what he described as "positive indicators" since Al-Zaidi assumed office as prime minister.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Mandalawi said that "the new Iraqi government moved early in its tenure to engage positively with the national and domestic environment, including contentious issues such as relations with Erbil." He added that "the Kurdistan Regional Government, led by Masrour Barzani, views these indicators positively."
However, Al-Mandalawi suggested that efforts to resolve disputes between the two governments may gather momentum under pressure from the international community, particularly the United States.
He stressed that the Kurdistan Democratic Party has consistently partnered with every new government in Baghdad in seeking the passage of an oil and gas law. Although he hopes the legislation can be approved during the current parliamentary term, he argued that "the same political forces that opposed a legislative settlement in the past will continue to use every means available to prevent the law from being passed."
Former lawmaker Mayada Al-Najjar said there are "encouraging signs" that the disputes could be resolved, reflected in growing cooperation between the two sides in both security and economic coordination.
In mid-June 2026, an Iraqi military delegation headed by Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah conducted meetings and field visits in Erbil, including inspections of several oil fields, to assess security conditions and discuss measures aimed at protecting facilities and personnel.
Despite political indicators suggesting Baghdad and Erbil are moving closer to resolving the oil dispute, Al-Najjar said any definitive progress should be measured by an official announcement of a final or comprehensive agreement between Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani and Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi that would fully settle the oil and gas crisis.
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