Analysts: The government is serious about ending the presence of the international coalition in Iraq

Baghdad – INA
 
The confirmation of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani, of the government’s principled position to end the presence of the international coalition was welcomed by political forces and experts who considered the position realistic and consistent with increasing the capabilities of the Iraqi forces in confronting challenges and threats without the need for external assistance, while the Prime Minister’s Advisor for Security Affairs Khaled Al-Yaqoubi confirmed that there is no text in the strategic agreement between Iraq and the United States that allows it to act alone on Iraqi territory, considering the attack on the headquarters of the 12th Brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces yesterday and the martyrdom of Commander Abu Taqwa Al-Saeedi and his companion unacceptable and unjustified.

 Advisor to the Prime Minister: No legal text that allows Washington to act alone

 Al-Yaqoubi said in his interview with the Iraqi News Agency (INA): “The Prime Minister, from the first day of assuming responsibility, was serious about addressing the issue of the presence of the international coalition in Iraq, which is present at the request of the government, and a high-ranking Iraqi delegation visited Washington last August, and among what the delegation agreed upon was the formation of a joint Iraqi-American military committee to study options that would lead to Iraqi territory being free of any foreign military presence.

 He added, "The Iraqi side has fulfilled its obligations in this aspect, and the National Security Council named a committee headed by the Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army. The American side also named its committee. There was an intention to hold the first meeting of the committee on October 10 last year, but the Americans asked to postpone the date." Due to the developments in Gaza that began on the seventh day of the same month.”

 He continued, "The Iraqi government tried more than once to set a new date for the meeting, but the American side was asking for postponement due to the justifications it had, which in fact were not convincing to the Iraqi side. We assured them that their position is incorrect and the committee must meet and the dialogue begin."

 He stressed that "the international coalition includes 86 countries, including 11 main members and the rest are supportive, and it is headed by the United States. The coalition has its assessments regarding the threat of terrorism, and Iraq has its assessments as well, especially since it is now a strong country that has defeated ISIS terrorist gangs, and its forces are dealing with dens here and there that do not pose a major threat to the existence of the state, and now Iraq is convinced that there is no need for coalition forces to be on the ground.”

 Al-Yaqoubi pointed out that “the recent attacks that targeted official Iraqi security institutions and headquarters are a condemned and rejected act, and the United States, which heads the coalition, violated the implementation of the letter and spirit of the agreement between the Iraqi government and the international coalition as a unilateral act, and the government dealt with these attacks and developments with a strong stance, for example when it targeted the embassy. The American government was able to reach those involved within 48 hours and referred them to the judiciary and exercised its role, and this confirms its ability to exercise its duties without there being a justification for the American side to act unilaterally, and it cannot be justified.”

 He stressed that "there is no text in the strategic agreement between Iraq and the United States that allows it to act unilaterally on Iraqi soil and under any justification."

 The Iraqi government believes in the capabilities of the security forces 

 Meanwhile, the media advisor to the Prime Minister, Hisham Al-Rikabi, confirmed in his speech to the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that “the Prime Minister announced on the sidelines of his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez’s recent visit to Baghdad that there are dialogues that the government is conducting with the international coalition in order to set a time limit for the exit of the coalition forces from Iraq.” ".

 He added, "This step comes from the Iraqi government's belief in the ability of its security forces to maintain security and stability in the country."

 Government insistence on ending the presence of the international coalition

 During his speech at the memorial ceremony held today, Friday, by the Popular Mobilization Forces on the fourth anniversary of the martyrdom of the leaders of Al-Nasr and their comrades in 2020, the Prime Minister affirmed that “the government confirms our firm and principled position in ending the presence of the international coalition after the justifications for its existence have ended, and we are in the process of setting the date for the start of the dialogue through the bilateral committee that was formed to determine the arrangements for the end of this presence, and it is a commitment that the government will not back down from, and it will not neglect everything that would complete national sovereignty over the land, sky, and waters of Iraq.”

 He added, "We have repeatedly emphasized that if a violation or transgression occurs by any Iraqi party, or if Iraqi law is violated, the Iraqi government is the only party that has the right to follow up on the merits of these violations," stressing that "the government is the authorized party." By imposing the law, everyone must work through it, and no one can infringe on Iraq’s sovereignty.” 

 The Prime Minister expressed his "condemnation of the attacks that target our security forces, and go beyond the spirit and letter of the mandate that created the international coalition," stressing "the government's ability and willingness to make appropriate decisions to preserve Iraq's sovereignty, security, and stability, as it lies at the core of its responsibilities, obligations, and constitutional duties."


 Political welcome:

 The State of Law coalition parliamentary bloc announced, today, Friday, its full support for the steps of Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani regarding ending the foreign presence in the country and achieving national sovereignty.

 Member of the bloc, Atwan Al-Atwani, said in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA): “We received, with great pride and dignity, the historic speech of Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, during the official memorial ceremony on the fourth anniversary of the martyrdom of the leaders of Al-Nasr, in which he affirmed moving towards ending the foreign presence and achieving the complete nationalism sovereignty.”
 
Al-Atwani added, "We express our full support for Al-Sudani's steps in this regard, and we affirm his government's ability and willingness to take the appropriate decisions to preserve Iraq's sovereignty, security, and stability.".
 
He continued: "We renew our firm and principled position of rejecting the presence of any foreign forces on our lands, and the necessity of ending the presence of the international coalition forces after the justifications for their presence have ended.".
 
He called on the national forces to "unify their position and speech regarding these challenges and support the Prime Minister's steps aimed at ending the series of blatant violations of Iraq's sovereignty and the sanctity of its lands, in a clear transgression and flagrant violation of all international laws, customs and conventions.".

 Today, Friday, the head of the Irada Movement, Hanan Al-Fatlawi, praised the speech of Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani regarding ending the American military presence in Iraq.

 Al-Fatlawi said in a blog post on (X) website: “What the Prime Minister spoke today is the mouthpiece of all Iraqis. It is time to end the American military presence in Iraq, and the House of Representatives and all political blocs must stand with the government to remove this legacy left by others.”

 In turn, Representative Youssef Al-Kalabi said in a blog post on (X) website, “I felt proud while listening to the Prime Minister’s speech, which was crystal clear: There is no need for coalition forces or American forces - point at the top of a line - and the government is committed to ending this file.”

 The readiness of the Iraqi forces has increased

 Political analyst Hamza Mustafa said in his interview with the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that “when the Prime Minister spoke about activating the work of the bilateral committee to end the presence of the international coalition in Iraq, he indicated that the steps to achieve this goal have begun.”

 He added, "The Prime Minister confirmed that the government is moving to determine the type of relationship with the United States of America and the international coalition in a way that does not prejudice Iraqi sovereignty and in accordance with international agreements in force between countries. I believe that Iraq has begun the basic steps for this issue and we will finish it within months."

 He continued, "In addition, the Iraqi forces have become so prepared that they can confront the dangers of terrorism in isolation from the international coalition, and now terrorism has been defeated in Iraq and there are only simple matters that can be dealt with."