Iraqi leader visits Iran to ease tensions
Baghdad and Riyadh will set up council to enhance ties and cooperate in battling ISIL. Haidar Al Abadi will visit Kuwait today
ABU DHABI // Iraq’s prime minister yesterday visited Tehran during his tour of the region aimed at strengthening diplomatic ties and easing the growing tensions between the GCC and Iran. On Monday, Haider Al Abadi made his first visit to Saudi Arabia since taking office and amid mounting tensions between Tehran and Riyadh.
On the same day, Saudi Arabia said it had captured three members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. The Saudi interior ministry said they were planning to attack an offshore oilfield. Iran denied the kingdom’s claim. Last week, Tehran said Riyadh had ties to terrorist groups across the Middle East and accused the United States of giving rise to extremist militant groups in the region because of its wars in Iraq and Syria. Mr Al Abadi hopes to bring about a reconciliation between Sunni Arab countries and Shiite-majority Iraq, and to bolster his domestic political position before elections next year.
The Iraqi leader also aims to mend fences between Saudi Arabia and Iran, while maintaining neutrality on the Arabian Gulf states’ isolation of Qatar.
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain cut off diplomatic relations with Doha over its support of terrorist groups and interfering in the domestic politics of its GCC neighbours.
During his talks with King Salman on Monday, Mr Al Abadi discussed efforts to bolster the fight against terrorism by increasing bilateral cooperation.
Yesterday, the kingdom and Iraq announced the establishment of a coordination council to upgrade strategic ties.
They said the two countries had achieved a “quantum leap” in bilateral relations and the move would be seen as bolstering the fight against ISIL. Relations between the two countries have been hampered in recent years by Iran’s growing influence in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003.
Iran has also deployed troops across Iraq to battle ISIL. Also on Monday, Mr Al Abadi met Saudi deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and they discussed the need for regional support in battling terrorist groups.
“We have not won against ISIL but we have won our people and their cooperation when we did not distinguish between the Iraqis,” Mr Al Abadi said.
The Iraqi leader, a moderate member of the Islamic Dawa Party, a Shiite-affiliated political bloc, seeks to appeal to Iraqis as a hardliner against ISIL.
But he must also appease his Sunni constituents while distancing himself from Tehran’s interference in Iraq and downplaying his party’s historical ties to Iran.
“It’s in Al Abadi’s interests to be seen as promoting Sun-
‘ We have not won against Daesh, but we have won our people and their cooperation Haider Al Abadi Prime minister of Iraq
ni-Shiite relations because his political career at home depends on his ability to appease both sides,” said a political analyst in Kuwait.
Before leaving Saudi Arabia, Mr Al Abadi performed the Umrah pilgrimage in Mecca.
He will travel to Kuwait today for the final stage of his regional visit.
Kuwait, which did not sever ties with Qatar, has been trying to mend the rift between the GCC countries.
Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad in 2015 after 25 years.
In February, Saudi foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir made a rare visit to Baghdad. King Salman and Mr Al Abadi previously met in March at the Arab League summit.
Their countries, the largest and second-largest oil producers in Opec, joined hands to bring about a deal to support crude prices last November.