Iraq has confirmed the completion of preparations for entering into a strategic dialogue with the United States scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, regarding the future of the presence of American forces in the country and the prospects for future relations between the two countries, while controversy is taking place regarding the composition of the Iraqi negotiating delegation and its ability to successfully manage the dialogue with the American side.
"This round of dialogue is an important station that will frame the priorities of Baghdad and Washington," Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said during his meeting with the American ambassador to Baghdad, stressing the need to continue the positive development of various aspects of distinguished bilateral cooperation.
Commenting on this dialogue, former Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said on Twitter that the American negotiation delegation is stronger and more experienced than its Iraqi counterpart, and demanded that this disparity be addressed through an equal team appointed to these negotiations, which he described as important and serious.
US negotiating team with #Iraqi team on #US - # Iraq Strategic dialogue is much stronger & more professional than our #Iraqi colleagues. This disparity need to be addressed & should have an equal parity. This is a very serious negotiating issue.
- Hoshyar Zebari (@HoshyarZebari) June 6, 2020
On the other hand, the Iraqi security expert, Hisham Al-Hashimi, revealed in a tweet on Twitter that the Iraqi negotiating team with the American side in the dialogue that will take place through closed-circuit television consists of 21 negotiators in the fields of politics, international and military relations, finance and education, indicating that it includes skilled negotiators.
The Iraqi negotiating team with the American side on June 10; without the minister’s degree, and it consists of 21 negotiators in the fields of politics, international relations, military, financial, and education .. It
has 5 names skilled in negotiation; Abdul Karim Hashem, Hareth Hassan, Luqman Al-Fili, Farid Yassin, Hamid Khalaf.
Dialogue via closed-circuit television.
- Husham Alhashimi Hisham Al Hashimi (@hushamalhashimi) June 4, 2020
Al-Hashemi felt that the opposition of some Shiite blocs and factions and renewal of their threats is not due to their objection to the dialogue, but to the names in the list of the Iraqi negotiating delegation.
The leader of the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades Abu Ali Al-Askari called on his Twitter page to replace three of the names proposed in the negotiating team in order to ensure the success of the dialogue.
He demanded that the negotiating team include a figure from the PMF, another from the tribes, and a third of the media, explaining that the Hezbollah Brigades will determine its position on the dialogue, after the first official meeting between the two sides.
pic.twitter.com/jSnV1LTXDz
- Abu Ali Al-Askari (@abualialaskary) June 7, 2020
For his part, Iraqi political analyst Ihsan al-Shammari saw that Washington and Tehran would view the dialogue as a first stop for the testing of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazimi, indicating that Iraq would be seen in return as an opportunity for a new political dynamic.
Both:
Washington and Tehran will view the strategic dialogue as the first test station for Al-Kazemi.
Iraq will view the negotiations as an opportunity for a new political dynamic.
- Dr. Ihssan Alshamry (@Ihssan_Shmary) June 5, 2020
And US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in previous statements that the dialogue will address all issues related to US-Iraqi relations, including the future of US forces in the country.
Last January, the Iraqi parliament passed a resolution requiring the government to officially remove US forces from the country, days after the killing of the Iranian Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Authority, in a US raid near Baghdad airport.