US, Iran agree to support Al-Kadhimi’s government in Iraq

The US and Iran have agreed to support the new Iraqi government headed by Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, which won the trust of parliament after months of political stalemate in the country.

The US embassy in Iraq announced: “We support the prime minister and the Iraqi people to combat the coronavirus pandemic, achieve a comprehensive victory over Daesh, provide humanitarian assistance and achieve stability to the IDPs and liberated areas.”

“The new government must now turn to the difficult work of implementing urgent reforms and meeting the Iraqi people’s needs,” added the US embassy in a statement on Thursday.

It pointed out that: “The next strategic dialogue with the Iraqi government aims to reaffirm the importance of the US-Iraqi partnership for both countries.”

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The embassy continued: “We were pleased with Prime Minister Al-Kadhimi’s promise to hold early elections, and his will to strengthen the democratic system in Iraq.”

“We look forward to working with this new government to give the Iraqi people the sovereignty, dignity, prosperity and security that they deserve,” added the embassy.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif congratulated Al-Kadhimi, his government, the parliament and the Iraqi people in succeeding to form a new government.

The speaker of the Council of Representatives of Iraq, Mohamed Al-Halbousi (right 3) welcomes Iraqi PM-designate Mustafa al-Kadhimi who arrived at the parliament for vote of confidence in Baghdad, Iraq on 6 May 2020. [Murtadha Al-Sudani – Anadolu Agency]

The head of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Masrour Barzani, confirmed that he made a phone call to Al-Kadhimi to congratulate him on gaining the parliament’s trust “at this critical time” in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

“We are facing common challenges, and I look forward to working closely with his government,” expressed Barzani in a statement.

In turn, President of the KRG Nechirvan Barzani conveyed: “I congratulate Mr. Al-Kadhimi on his government’s gain of trust, and I wish him success.”

“I hope his government will be able to restore the country’s security, stability, services and development, the Iraqi people’s legitimate rights and demands, as well as the Kurdistan region’s constitutional rights,” added Nechirvan Barzani.

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The Iraqi parliament voted on Thursday morning by a majority of the present members (255 out of 329 MPs) to grant trust to Al-Kadhimi and 15 ministers in his government, and five candidates of his government were not granted trust, while the prime minister did not present any candidates to fill the oil and foreign portfolios.

The Iraqi parliament is expected to complete granting trust to the rest of the cabinet in the upcoming days.

Al-Kadhimi’s government gained trust after arduous discussions with Shia, Sunni and Kurdish political blocs, since his appointment to form it by President Barham Salih on 9 April.

The new government has succeeded the government of Adil Abdul-Mahdi, who resigned in early December 2019, under the pressure of popular protests calling for the departure and prosecution of all the political class figures accused of corruption and wasting state funds, having ruled the country since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003.