Iraq Pleased with Launch of New Chapter in Ties with Saudi Arabia

[The SC]

Friday, 19 April, 2019 - 06:15

King Salman receives Iraqi PM Abdul Mahdi in Riyadh on Wednesday. (SPA)

Baghdad – Hamza Mustafa

Iraqi officials hailed the opening of a new chapter in ties with Saudi Arabia in wake of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s trip to the Kingdom on Wednesday.

Leading members of the Reform and Construction alliance Haidar al-Malla said the trip reflects a continuation of the Iraq’s efforts to return to the Arab fold.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that in wake of the US sanctions against Iran, Baghdad must turn to the Arab world in order to secure its energy, economic and investment interests.

“Saudi Arabia is the only country that can fill this void,” he stressed.

He added that the visit to Saudi Arabia was the government’s crowning achievement after it held a summit with Iraq, Jordan and Egypt in Cairo in March.

The Kingdom is a key player and economic coordination could pave the way to cooperation in security and politics that would ensure the elimination of terrorism and extremism and rein in Iran’s influence, he explained.

He said that the problem does not lie with Iran the country, but its revolution.

Political science professor at the University of Baghdad Dr. Khaled Abdulilah told Asharq Al-Awsat that Iraq wants stability and security in the region, especially now that ISIS has been defeated.

“Saudi Arabia is seeking to make up for the years of severed ties with Iraq,” he noted.

Moreover, he stressed that Baghdad wants to make it clear that it will no longer be an open ground for foreign conflicts.

Economic expert Dr. Abdulrahman al-Shammari said that the Saudi-Iraqi summit on Wednesday was a continuation of the visit by a senior Saudi delegation to Iraq earlier this month.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz held talks with Abdul Mahdi on Wednesday upon his arrival in Riyadh on an official visit.

Abdul Mahdi also held talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense.

King Salman and the PM oversaw the signing of 13 agreements covering energy, agriculture, industry, oil and gas, mineral wealth, maritime transport, education and culture.


https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1686026/iraq-pleased-launch-new-chapter-ties-saudi-arabia

 

[mangekyo]

Saudi funds ISIS in Iraq. Iran provides endless support to Iraqis by spending billions of dollars to support the Iraqis while Iranians struggle in their own country, sends billions of dollars worth of weapons. Sends Iranian generals that trains militia in Iraq that later would defeat ISIS.

Iraq: Now that ISIS is defeated we must turn to Saudi Arabia. -- Arab logic

 

[Saddam Hussein]

Saudi funds ISIS in Iraq. Iran provides endless support to Iraqis by spending billions of dollars to support the Iraqis while Iranians struggle in their own country, sends billions of dollars worth of weapons. Sends Iranian generals that trains militia in Iraq that later would defeat ISIS.

Iraq: Now that ISIS is defeated we must turn to Saudi Arabia. -- Arab logic

Your ally Syria under Assad aided and sponsored Al-Qaeda terrorism in Iraq after 2004.
Once Syria started going to hell, thousands of Iraqis went to help that trash regime.

Iran sold those weapons for money. And Iraq works with both the US and Iran, it's good that Baghdad has some balance and doesn't become a Hezbollahistan for Mullah resistance.

Iran can fight Saudi directly if they want to make war instead of through Iraq.

 

[mangekyo]

Your ally Syria under Assad aided and sponsored Al-Qaeda terrorism in Iraq after 2004.
Once Syria started going to hell, thousands of Iraqis went to help that trash regime.

Iran sold those weapons for money. And Iraq works with both the US and Iran, it's good that Baghdad has some balance and doesn't become a Hezbollahistan for Mullah resistance.

We didn't sell you weapons, we gave them for free. When your army ran away from ISIS and there were literally 0 motivation left in you, we came to your aid, funded, armed and trained you. We even gave salary to your fighters. This is how you repay us. You are just looking after your own interests, I get that. This is just history repeating itself. From the Umayyads to the Ottomans, to modern day. Arabs have always shown to be untrustworthy and disloyal.

 

[Aramagedon]

Saudi funds ISIS in Iraq. Iran provides endless support to Iraqis by spending billions of dollars to support the Iraqis while Iranians struggle in their own country, sends billions of dollars worth of weapons. Sends Iranian generals that trains militia in Iraq that later would defeat ISIS.

Iraq: Now that ISIS is defeated we must turn to Saudi Arabia. -- Arab logic

Stop nonsense

All of countries can meet each other.

If they don’t do it they will face mischief from Sauds.

 

[mangekyo]

Stop nonsense

All of countries can meet each other.

Read again

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that in wake of the US sanctions against Iran, Baghdad must turn to the Arab world in order to secure its energy, economic and investment interests.

“Saudi Arabia is the only country that can fill this void,” he stressed.

The Kingdom is a key player and economic coordination could pave the way to cooperation in security and politics that would ensure the elimination of terrorism and extremism and rein in Iran’s influence, he explained.

He said that the problem does not lie with Iran the country, but its revolution.

 

[Wow]

Honestly this Iran Saudi cold war is the stupidest Sh##

 

[Aramagedon]

Read again

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that in wake of the US sanctions against Iran, Baghdad must turn to the Arab world in order to secure its energy, economic and investment interests.

“Saudi Arabia is the only country that can fill this void,” he stressed.

The Kingdom is a key player and economic coordination could pave the way to cooperation in security and politics that would ensure the elimination of terrorism and extremism and rein in Iran’s influence, he explained.

He said that the problem does not lie with Iran the country, but its revolution.

They were their arch enemies for 27 years.

In August 1990, only two years after Baghdad and Tehranhad agreed to cease hostilities, Iraqi forces invaded and occupied Kuwait. Saudi Arabia took action against Iraq, claiming Iraq's actions posed a serious threat to its security, and requested the United States to bring troops into the kingdom to help confront Iraq. Riyadh's fears concerning Baghdad's ultimate intentions prompted Saudi Arabia to become involved directly in the war against Iraq during January and February 1991. Although the United States was the principal military power in the coalition of the forces that opposed Iraq, the kingdom's air bases served as the main staging areas for aerial strikes against Iraqi targets, and for personnel of the Saudi Army who participated in both the bombing assaults and the ground offensive. Iraq responded by firing several Scud-B missiles at Riyadh and other Saudi towns. This conflict marked the first time since its invasion of Yemen in 1934 that Saudi Arabia had fought against another Arab state.[citation needed]

Consequently, postwar Saudi policy focused on ways to contain potential Iraqi threats to the kingdom and the region. One elements of Riyadh's containment policy included support for Iraqi opposition forces that advocated the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's government. In the past, backing for such groups had been discreet, but in early 1992 the Saudi's invited several Iraqi opposition leaders to Riyadh to attend a well-publicized conference. To further demonstrate Saudi dissatisfaction with the regime in Baghdad, Crown Prince Abdallah permitted the media to videotape his meeting with some of the opponents of Saddam Hussein.[citation needed]

In spite of this, the Saudi leadership opposed the U.S. plan to invade Iraq in 2003 and did not join the Coalition. Their fears and warnings that Iraq would fracture along sectarian and political lines proved accurate.[citation needed]

What was worse for Saudi Arabia was the strengthening of the Shi'ites in Iraq, seen as Iran's proxy. This drew the Iranian threat much larger for the Kingdom, forcing them to weaken Iranian influence in Iraq through covertly supporting Al-Qaeda in Iraq (2004 – later Islamic State of Iraq 2006, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria 2013, Islamic State 2014.) This of course undermined attempts at reconciliation between the Iraqi and Saudi governments. Iraq has, as a result, always chosen Iran over Saudi Arabia as their closer ally.

In 2009, Iraq named its first post-Gulf War ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ghanim Al-Jumaily. In January 2012, Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari stated that Saudi Arabia had named its first ambassador to Iraq since 1990.[5] Fahd Abdul Mohsen Al-Zaid, the Kingdom's ambassador to Jordan, would serve as non-resident ambassador flying regularly from Amman to Baghdad.[6]

In 2014, former Prime Minister of Iraq Nouri al-Malikistated that Saudi Arabia and Qatar started the civil wars in Iraq and Syria, and incited and encouraged terrorist movements, like ISIS and al-Qaeda, supporting them politically and in the media, with money and by buying weapons for them. Saudi Arabia denied the accusations which were criticised by the country, the Carnegie Middle East Center and the Royal United Services Institute.[7][8]

On February 25, 2017, Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir visited Iraq – the first such visit by a Saudi foreign minister since 1990.[9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq–Saudi_Arabia_relations

 

[Saddam Hussein]

Saudi funds ISIS in Iraq. Iran provides endless support to Iraqis by spending billions of dollars to support the Iraqis while Iranians struggle in their own country, sends billions of dollars worth of weapons. Sends Iranian generals that trains militia in Iraq that later would defeat ISIS.

Iraq: Now that ISIS is defeated we must turn to Saudi Arabia. -- Arab logic

Abadi said at a conference of the World Economic Forum that Iraq pays for the weapons.

If you are talking about Iran arming certain factions in the PMU, that's Iran's doing to gain influence and counter the army's command which is closer aligned to the US military, it's not Baghdad's request or desire. What's your point with that.

The Iranian generals didn't train, they were just a handful of volunteers seeking martyrdom.

Iraq should grow and fix corruption, enhance ties with anyone and counter foreign influence and meddling including Iranian meddling. Quit crying like we owe you something and don't bring up ISIS, all fighters on the ground were Iraqis.

 

[Mamadouso]

Let Iraq choose its relations as it wants for its own benefit. Iran or Saudi don’t own it.

 

[Saddam Hussein]

Honestly this Iran Saudi cold war is the stupidest Sh##

Yeah Saddam should've continued after Kuwait and then use that oil wealth to invade Iran again and burn the entire region.

Unfortunately USA saved the region

 

[Aramagedon]

Yeah Saddam should've continued after Kuwait and then use that oil wealth to invade Iran again and burn the entire region.

Unfortunately USA saved the region

Add to that 2 million Iraqis martyred by Sudi suiciders [Sudi regime to prevent Shia power in “75% Shia majority Iraq” ] since American invasion.


Studies: Suicide bombers in Iraq are mostly foreigners

WASHINGTON — Suicide bombers in Iraq are overwhelmingly foreigners bent on destabilizing the government and undermining American interests there, two independent studies have concluded.

The studies report that the number of suicide bombings in Iraq has now surpassed those conducted worldwide since the early 1980s. The findings suggest that extremists from throughout the region and around the world are fueling Iraq's violence.

"The war on terrorism — and certainly the war in Iraq — has failed in decreasing the number of suicide attacks and has really radicalized the Muslim world to create this concept of martyrs without borders," said Mohammed Hafez, a visiting professor at the University of Missouri in Kansas City and the author of one of the two studies.

Hafez, whose new book is "Suicide Bombers in Iraq," has identified the nationalities of 124 bombers who attacked in Iraq. Of those, the largest number — 53 — were Saudis. Eight apiece came from Italy and Syria, seven from Kuwait, four from Jordan and two each from Belgium, France and Spain. Others came from North and East Africa, South Asia and various Middle Eastern and European countries. Only 18 — 15 percent — were Iraqis.

In the second study, Robert Pape, a University of Chicago professor who runs the Chicago Project on Suicide Terrorism, identified the nationalities of 55 suicide bombers in Iraq. Sixteen were Saudis, seven were Syrians and five were Algerians. Kuwait, Morocco and Tunisia each supplied three bombers. Thirteen — 24 percent — were Iraqi Sunni Muslims.

Hafez and Pape said Iraqi Shiite Muslims hadn't carried out suicide attacks so far and instead had restricted their role in the sectarian violence to militia activity.

Pinning down the nationalities of suicide bombers can be tricky because they leave few physical remains, and extremist groups often don't claim the attacks until much later. The U.S. military says it does some DNA testing to investigate the bombers' identities.

Both researchers relied on extremist Web sites, "martyr" videos, news reports and statements to compile the data on nationalities. Hafez also gathered some information from online chats and discussion forums.

U.S. intelligence estimates based on interviews with detainees and captured documents indicate that most suicide bombers in Iraq are non-Iraqi, said a senior defense official who can't be named because of departmental rules

Suicide attacks more than doubled each year from the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 to 2005, Pape said. In 2006, he said, they jumped just under a third. The American military has reported more than 1,400 since January 2004. Before the U.S.-led invasion, there had been no suicide bombings in Iraq.

Pape attributed the attacks to the presence of some 150,000 American troops in the region.

The notion that most of the suicide bombers are foreigners engaged in a global movement is exaggerated, he said, since about 75 percent come from the Arabian Peninsula, which is close to the U.S. forces in Iraq.

"The Arabian Peninsula isn't that big: It's somewhat bigger than Texas," Pape said. "The Americans have all the capability and are right there. That's what allows terrorist leaders to build a sense of urgency."

After losing safe havens in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Europe, militant organizations needed a new base for their operations, Hafez said. U.S. intelligence analysts, however, have concluded that al Qaida has built new training camps along the Afghan-Pakistani border, and that the group al Qaida in Iraq operates for the most part independently.

According to Hafez, extremist groups in Iraq conduct suicide bombings against fellow Muslims rather than U.S. troops to destabilize the fledgling government and spark sectarian warfare.

The groups' objectives in Iraq are different from "other places like in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict or in Lebanon," he said.

In Lebanon, Shiite suicide bombers helped drive U.S., British, French, Italian and Israeli troops out of the country with a series of attacks. Sunni Palestinian suicide bombers have attacked in Israel and the Palestinian territories in an effort to loosen Israel's grip on what they say are Arab lands.

There's widespread agreement that Saudis are represented more heavily than any other nationality among the bombers, said Assaf Moghadem, a research fellow at Harvard University who studies suicide bombers' motivations. Insurgent groups sometimes recruit Saudis because of their relative prosperity, he said.

The ultra-conservative brand of Sunni Islam that's prevalent in Saudi Arabia also accounts for the large number of Saudis who participate in suicide bombings and the insurgency in Iraq, said Mike Davis, a University of California at Irvine professor who wrote a recent history of car bombs.

"The religious current in modern Islam that encourages this kind of sectarian attitude toward the Shiites is the religious orthodoxy enshrined in Saudi Arabia," Davis said.

https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/article24467953.html