Al-Kadhimi: Iraq Not Launchpad Against Neighbors, Position on Palestine Firm

Date: 16 July 2022 - 21:48

News ID: ۱۰۴۷۷۳

BAGHDAD (MEMO) – Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has announced that the Jeddah conference in Saudi Arabia “will not witness the discussion of normalization with Israel” and stressed that discussion on the topic is an attempt to confuse Iraq’s restoration of its role in the region.
The prime minister’s media office disclosed in a statement on Friday, posted on Twitter, that: “Iraq’s position is firm and clear on the Palestinian issue and is not open for discussion.”
The media office added that Iraq could not be a foundation to threaten any neighboring country.
The prime minister stressed that Baghdad would not allow any party to use Iraq as a base to threaten neighbors or create problems by using Iraqi lands.
Al-Kadhimi expressed that they are in dire need of wisdom, patience, reconciliation and restoring confidence for the sake of Iraq and Iraqis. He mentioned that his government’s motto from day one has been “Iraq first” and that they will continue to adopt this approach in order to serve the people.
Moreover, al-Kadhimi stated during a press conference held in Baghdad before travelling to Jeddah: “Iraq has not and will not be, neither today nor tomorrow, in any military axis or alliance, and the national interest is the goal of these meetings.”
The Iraqi government statement said al-Kadhimi was participating in the summit “to discuss the issues of energy, food security, and environmental challenges, in addition to specifying the steps of cooperation, partnership, and joint coordination regarding these pivotal issues.”
“I will discuss with (U.S. President Joe) Biden the issue of the joint strategic agreement in the areas of health and economy,” al-Kadhimi said.
Since 2020, the US has brokered normalization agreements under the so-called Abraham Accords between the Zionist regime and some regional countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.
Palestinians and their supporters have denounced it as a “stab in the back” of the Palestinian cause of liberation from the Zionist occupation and aggression.
Observers believe the agreements would not have been possible without the approval of Saudi Arabia, which has maintained secret ties with Tel Aviv.
Back in May, the Iraqi parliament passed a law criminalizing the normalization of the Arab country’s ties with the Zionist regime.