Two remarkable statements were made on Tuesday in the Iraqi capital. The first by Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani, and the other by his Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein.
During a televised interview, Sudani stressed that he would not succumb to the demands of any leader or party during the cabinet reshuffle, which he pledged to undertake at the end of the six-month that he set to evaluate the performance of his ministers.
Hussein noted, for his part, that the Iraqi premier was “not interested in traveling to Washington during the next stage, because he is preoccupied with internal issues.”
He continued: “There are no agendas for a near visit to Washington, despite Iraq’s success in developing relations with all neighboring countries.”
Although Sudani has made several visits to Arab and regional countries and European capitals immediately after assuming office, unlike most of his predecessors - if not all - he has not traveled to Washington.
Yet, relations seem normal and are witnessing remarkable development, especially with the adjustment of the US dollar against the Iraqi dinar, following a visit by an Iraqi delegation to the US capital.
Meanwhile, reports pointed to the possibility of replacing at least five ministers and four governors in the coming days. But as long as the political forces are not informed about those included in the reshuffle process, none of them is seeking now to challenge or oppose the decision.
The final decision rests with Parliament, which has to vote on which minister or governor the prime minister requests to be replaced. But Sudani raised the level of the challenge, by announcing that he would not succumb to the demands of any leader or party.
Sudani, who made the decision to carry out a reshuffle six months after the formation of his cabinet, broke a golden rule followed by all of his predecessors, which is not to bother any minister, as long as he belonged to a political bloc that is “stronger” than the prime minister.
But the Iraqi premier insists on his march towards reform and the effective implementation of projects.
