Saudi Arabia to appoint a new ambassador to Iraq, resume direct flights
BAGHDAD, Iraq—In an attempt to mend diplomatic relations with Baghdad, the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir paid a visit to Iraq on Saturday, holding a meeting with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. It was the first such visit by a Saudi high ranking diplomat to the country since 1990. Both sides had stressed the importance of strengthening bilateral relations with Riyadh promising to appoint a new ambassador to Baghdad and resume direct flights between the two countries.
Thamer Al-Sabhan, Saudi Arabia’s first appointed Ambassador since the gulf war sparked outrage in Iraq when two years ago he claimed that “Iranian terrorist personalities” were involved in the battle for Fallujah against ISIS, trying to punish the Sunni Arabs.
According to a statement from the office of the Iraqi PM, the two sides discussed strengthening bilateral relations, the fight against ISIS, further cooperation in the fight against extremism.
“During the meeting, the strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries were discussed,” the statement from Abadi’s office said, “and the guaranteed ways of enhancing relations in all fields and the fight against the terrorist ISIS,” the statement continued.
"The kingdom stands at an equal distance from all Iraqi communities making up Iraq and supports the unity and stability of Iraq," Jubeir told reporters.
Jubeir told his Iraqi counterpart and the PM that his country plans to appoint a new ambassador and resume direct flights between the two countries, Reuters said citing an unnamed Iraqi foreign ministry official.
A statement from the Iraqi FM confirmed that both sides discussed the resumption of direct flights. It also added that Iraq called on Saudi Arabia to put pressure on Turkey to withdraw its forces.
Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's former and longest serving foreign minister after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, said the visit was "an excellent move" while signalling that it was mediated by the US government.
Today's visit to Baghdad by KSA Fm Adil Jubier is an excellent move to normalize Iraq - Saudi relations .Thanks to our American friends.
— Hoshyar Zebari (@HoshyarZebari) February 25, 2017
Brett McGurk, the US Special Presidential Envoy for the coalition to defeat ISIS, tweeted that the visit was "landmark."
The visit comes two days after Abadi ordered Iraqi F-16 fighter jets to strike targets on the Syrian side of the border near Al-Bukamal, with the Iraqi PM vowing to fight the threat of the extremist group “wherever found”.
Saudi Arabia suspended diplomatic ties with Iraq in 1990 following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Twenty-five years later the Saudi Embassy reopened in Baghdad at the end of 2015.
About half a year later though, the relations experienced yet another low. The Iraqi government asked Saudi Arabia to stop what it called ‘interfering’ in its internal affairs in a strong statement a day after the Saudi foreign minister had said that the Shiite militia group known as Hashd al-Shaabi must be disbanded.
The Iraqi ministry of foreign affairs said then that “it condemns the repeated interference of the Saudi foreign ministry in Iraq’s internal affairs,” said Ahmed Jamal, the ministry spokesperson.
The statement from Baghdad came a day after Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Adel Al-Jubeir said that the Shiite militia was a sectarian group backed by Iran and that it must be disbanded.
Earlier when the Iraqi army and Shia militias began an operation to retake the city of Fallujah in June 2016 from the ISIS group, the Saudi Ambassador Thamer Al-Sabhan also said on Twitter that Iranian forces were involved in the battle and that they sought to punish Iraq’s Sunnis.
“The presence of Iranian terrorist personalities near Fallujah proves that they want to burn the Arab Iraqis in the fire of sectarianism.” Al-Sabhan tweeted.
Iraqi Shiite officials reacted by calling on the government to revoke the Saudi ambassador’s credentials.
The Iraqi foreign ministry said that Saudi Arabia was trying to address its own regional conflict with other countries by interfering Iraq’s domestic affairs, in reference to the kingdom’s regional rivalry with Iran.
This time around, Jubeir’s visit not only came at a time that the Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi forces had not been disbanded, but also that the forces have became an official force with the privileges of a regular army following a law passed by the Iraqi parliament late last year.
The paramilitaries have joined a coalition of Iraqi and Kurdish forces, and supported by the US-led international coalition against ISIS as part of the Mosul offensive that was launched back in October.