At Jordan summit, Arab countries and France warn Iraq against Iranian influence
Plain dialogue, or dialogue of the deaf: the leaders who attended a conference aimed at helping to stabilize Iraq on Tuesday, December 20, switched back and forth between two clearly contradictory postures. The meeting, co-organized by Iraq, Jordan and France, brought together twelve countries in the region, including the enemies Saudi Arabia and Iran.
At a luxury Jordanian hotel on the shores of the Dead Sea, in the small town of Sweimeh, the various parties made efforts to show goodwill, but failed to dispel the mistrust that stands in the way of any significant cooperation in the region. None of them are willing to give up their influence in a country torn apart by its long struggle against the terrorist organization Islamic State, in the wake of the American invasion of 2003.
'Iraq's pivotal role'
At the heart of the issue, everyone is making the same observation, as summarized by Jordan's King Abdullah II at the opening of the discussions, of "Iraq's pivotal role" in maintaining regional "stability." But the different capitals continue to draw opposite conclusions.
The meeting was a diplomatic baptism of fire of sorts for the new Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Chia Al-Soudani, appointed after months of political deadlock following elections dominated by pro-Iranian parties. After visiting Tehran in November, this leader, who is himself reputed to be close to Iran, has tried to make promises. "This kind of conference is a window that strengthens regional cooperation efforts," he said, promising to have "balanced relations with all regional and international partners" and to "stay away from [political] axes." "Iraq is facing an existential threat due to lack of water, we want to work with our neighbors, Turkey and Iran," he said.
These words were not enough to convince the Arab leaders who, not surprisingly, have multiplied their warnings against Iran. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal reiterated "the kingdom's total rejection of any form of aggression against the territory of Iraq," in reference to the recent strikes carried out by Iran against the Kurdish minority in the north of the country. "The success of Iraq will be that of all Arab countries," insisted Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi, before also emphasizing his "refusal of all external interventions in Iraq."
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Emmanuel Macron called on Baghdad to follow a path "that is not that of a form of hegemony, of imperialism, of a model that would be dictated from the outside"
For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron called on Baghdad, in a clear reference to the influence of Tehran, to follow a path "that is not that of a form of hegemony, of imperialism, of a model that would be dictated from the outside." "Iraq, today, is the scene of influences, incursions, destabilizations, which are linked to the entire region," he noted. "Things have gotten worse in the last year, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This has direct consequences on the structuring of several alliances," acknowledged the French head of state, referring to the delivery of Iranian drones to Russia, used to strike the Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, and which resulted in new Western sanctions on Tehran.
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