Saudis try to consolidate Iraqi ties with other Arab states

The recent visit of Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir to Baghdad was intended to help Iraq to be liberated from Iranian domination and consolidate its ties with other Arab states, AlKhaleejonlne.com reported on Sunday.

According to two local experts, one Iraqi and the other Saudi, Al-Jubeir’s visit was timely in the wake of Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president. The new incumbent of the White House has expressed his anger several times about Iranian involvement in Iraqi affairs. They also said that the visit came at the same time that the influence of Daesh has started to fade in Iraq and this needs a broad Arab effort to find common ground for political reconciliation among all Iraqis.

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Al-Jubeir arrived in Iraq last Sunday in a surprise visit, the first by a Saudi foreign minister since 1990. He met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi and his counterpart Ibrahim Al-Ja’fari.

Regional analyst Iyad Al-Dailami told Anadolu that the visit was agreed during the Munich Security Conference. “It reflected the Iraqi prime minister’s desire to reduce Iranian presence in his country through strengthening relations with Saudi Arabia,” he explained. However, there are several parties in Iraq who are not happy with Al-Jubeir’s visit, added Al-Dailami.

The editor of the liberal Saudi newspaper Al-Hayat, Saud Al-Rayyis, meanwhile, said that the visit of a senior Saudi official has many meanings. “It is as a way of extending a hand to Iraq to help strengthen its relations with the Arab states after Iran had tried to isolate it,” he suggested.