AhlulBayt News Agency: Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the Prime Minister of Iraq, traveled to the United States on April 15 amid increasing tensions between the Israeli regime and Iran, and met with President of the United States Joseph Biden.
Some of the most important statements by Mohammed Shia al-Sudani:
– “We encourage everyone to adhere to international laws that emphasize the immunity of diplomatic missions.
– We are opposed to any attack on non-combatants.
– The relationship between the United States and Iraq has reached a turning point, and we are moving towards partnerships. We are working on the transition from military relations to full cooperation with the United States.”
– (Referring to the issue of the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq) We will negotiate about sustainable partnership based on the strategic framework agreement. We will adhere to the decisions of the Iraq-US High Coordinating Committee. My government is serious about implementing this agreement.“
Some of the most important statements by Joseph Biden:
– “The US is serious about preventing the spill-over of conflict in the Middle East and is committed to achieving a ceasefire agreement that leads to the release of Israeli prisoners and prevents the spread of confrontation.
– The US made unprecedented efforts to defend Israel against an Iranian attack. The US is committed to protecting its own interests and the interests of its West Asian partners, including Iraq.”
This is the first visit by the prime minister of Iraq to the United States after the formation of the joint military committee between Baghdad and Washington to assess the threat of ISIS terrorist group and the end of the mission of the international coalition forces in Iraq. While al-Sudani emphasized the withdrawal of American troops and Iraqi officials are pursuing this issue, the United States’ officials, including Washington’s ambassador to Baghdad, claim that ISIS is still a threat in Iraq and the international coalition’s efforts to completely defeat the terrorist group in Iraq have not yet come to an end.
Earlier, the US ambassador to Baghdad stated in an interview with a media outlet, emphasizing the strategic importance of Iraq for the United States, that his country has no plans to withdraw from the Arab state and other countries in the region.
It is worth mentioning that negotiations for the withdrawal of US
forces from Iraq and the agreement between the Iraqi and American
governments are not a new issue. During the premiership of Mustafa
al-Kadhimi and in the latest round of strategic dialogue between Baghdad
and Washington, it was agreed that the presence of US military forces
in Iraq would finish by the end of 2021, but the US government easily
ignored the agreement!
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