As Iraq experiences tense conditions negatively affecting its political, security, and economic aspects, informed sources revealed today, Tuesday, an upcoming meeting between leaders of the Coordination Framework and President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid to discuss four important files.
Sources told “Al-Alem Al-Jadeed” that “President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid will host a meeting of Coordination Framework leaders this evening, Tuesday, at Al-Salam Palace in Baghdad.”
The sources added that the meeting aims to discuss the election of the Speaker of Parliament amid Sunni fragmentation, and the issues of Kirkuk and Diyala, as previous negotiations and proposed scenarios have failed to resolve these matters.
The meeting will also address a series of attacks on several American restaurants and companies in Baghdad amid armed factions giving Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani a deadline to expel American forces.
Political forces in Kirkuk and Diyala have struggled to form local governments, failing for various reasons. In Kirkuk, concerns revolve around rotating the governor’s position, while in Diyala, escalating disputes and accusations between the State of Law Coalition led by Nouri al-Maliki and the Badr Organization led by Hadi al-Amiri over the governorship have hindered progress.
Within the 30-day period following local elections, the Coordination Framework managed to control seven provinces, but the distribution of local governments among Shiite parties has not satisfied everyone. The coalition expected to secure 11 provinces.
Three cities have slipped from the “Framework’s” grasp, going to factions still allied with it nationally but with different political and electoral calculations. The biggest challenge for the Coordination Framework is in Diyala province.
On June 6, eleven MPs and provincial council members announced their split from the “Taqaddum” Party led by Mohammed Al-Halbousi, forming a political front called the “Initiative” bloc, further fragmenting the Sunni component in resolving this stalled issue since the end of last year.
The Speaker of Parliament position traditionally belongs to the Sunnis in Iraq’s political system since 2003, while the Prime Minister’s role goes to the Shiites, and the President’s to the Kurds.
On May 18, the House of Representatives failed to elect a new Speaker, unable to hold a decisive third round to favor one of the candidates: MP Salem Al-Issawi from the Sovereignty Party, and Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, supported by the Taqaddum Party.
Voting saw a fierce competition between Salem Al-Issawi, who received 158 votes, and Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, who garnered 137 votes. MP Amer Abdul Jabbar received 3 votes, with 13 invalid votes cast. A total of 311 MPs (out of 329) participated in the first round, which began at 4 p.m. Baghdad time.
However, the third round was disrupted due to a brawl among MPs, escalating into physical altercations. Lawmakers’ phones captured verbal and physical clashes between MPs from Taqaddum and other blocs over the Speaker election.
On June 6, Iraq’s Hezbollah Brigades gave Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and his government a deadline until mid-July to resolve the issue of expelling American forces from the country, demanding a clear and enforceable timeline. Otherwise, they threatened to resume their operations, according to sources from “Al-Alem Al-Jadeed.”
Since late May, American-branded restaurants and companies have been attacked, with the latest incident occurring on June 3 when individuals targeted restaurants on Palestine Street in central Baghdad. Previous attacks had hit various restaurants and companies across the capital.
For the past two weeks, Baghdad has seen the deployment of security checkpoints throughout the city to prevent further attacks, while investigations continue to identify the perpetrators.
On June 6, the U.S. State Department urged the Iraqi government to hold those responsible for the attacks on American and international establishments in Baghdad accountable.
On May 28, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski called on the Iraqi government to conduct a thorough investigation and prevent future attacks, stating that such incidents could weaken Iraq’s ability to attract foreign investments.
It is noteworthy that several foreign restaurants, including those in Iraq, have previously been boycotted worldwide due to their main branches’ support for Israel.
