Syria's Sharaa skips Iraq summit after firestorm over invitation
*
Highlights Syria's mixed results building regional ties
*
Shi'ite Muslim factions criticise invitation over Sharaa's past
*
Concerns about his personal safety
BAGHDAD/DAMASCUS May 12 - Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will not attend the Arab League Summit in Baghdad this weekend, Syrian state media said on Monday, after Iraq's invitation spurred controversy over the rebel-turned-leader's potential return to a country where he fought and was jailed.
Syria's delegation to Saturday's summit will be headed by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, state-owned Ekhbariya TV reported, without providing a reason for Sharaa's absence. The summit is expected to focus on Gaza reconstruction and the Palestinian issue.
Sharaa's decision highlighted Syria's mixed results establishing ties across the region after former President Bashar al-Assad's ouster last year. Sharaa has made rapid inroads with Sunni-majority Gulf Arab states Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but has tread more carefully with others where Iran has had strong influence, like Shi'ite-majority Iraq.
Sharaa fought with Al Qaeda in Iraq after the U.S-led invasion in 2003. He was imprisoned there for more than five years, then released for lack of evidence in 2011, according to a senior Iraqi security official.
He then opened Al Qaeda's branch in Syria, breaking away in 2016 to form what became Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group that ousted Assad.
Iraq's prime minister invited Sharaa last month to the summit, prompting criticism from mainly Shi'ite Muslim factions who accuse Sharaa of orchestrating attacks against Shi'ites during his years in Iraq.
At least 57 Shi'ite lawmakers in Iraq's 329-member legislature petitioned the government to bar Sharaa from the summit, a copy of the request seen by Reuters showed. Rumours circulated that he could face an arrest warrant, but Iraqi authorities denied this.
Sunni politicians largely welcomed his participation in the summit as a step towards pulling Iraq away from Iran and towards Arab states, who have largely backed Sharaa.
"There are elements... working against Iraq's progress to reclaim its rightful place within the Arab community," said Raad al-Dahlaki, head of Azm Alliance, a major Sunni bloc in Iraq's parliament.
Analysts view Iraq as the last strong pillar in Iran's so-called Axis of Resistance after Assad's ouster and Israel's degrading of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
Some Syrians were also concerned that Sharaa could face danger in Iraq.
For his Iraqi critics, "it's not going to be easy for them to digest, nor for the Syrian secret service to disregard those threats," said Mahmoud Toron, an analyst close to the Syrian government.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Shongtong-Karcham gets 2026 deadline, HP bets big on hydro
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has set a firm Nov 2026 deadline for the completion of the long-delayed Shongtong-Karcham hydroelectric project, saying the 450-MW plant will generate Rs 1,000 crore in annual revenue and strengthen the state's green energy ambitions. Sukhu on Monday inspected the under-construction site in Kinnaur district — visiting both the power house at Karcham and the barrage site at Powari — where he met engineers and workers. He said that even though the project had dragged on for 13 years, the state's current Congress govt had fast-tracked its progress and was committed to commissioning it on schedule. "This project symbolises our focus on tapping river resources to drive economic growth," Sukhu said, adding that the state was moving actively to regain control over stalled or externally-managed hydroelectric initiatives. He claimed that the govt was assessing the total expenditure incurred on other major hydropower projects — including Dhaulasidh, Luhri, and Sunni — with plans to resume and regulate their construction under state-led terms. "Unlike the previous BJP govt, which compromised state interests, we are prioritising Himachal Pradesh's control over its energy assets," Sukhu said. The CM also announced that HP was advancing plans for a geothermal power facility at Tapri in Kinnaur and expanding its capacity in solar and green hydrogen energy. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Despite being an energy-surplus state, HP still buys electricity from neighbouring states during winter for Rs 5 to 6 a unit. Sukhu said the state was ramping up solar-energy generation to offset this seasonal gap. "It has 626 MW worth of solar-power projects in various stages of development currently through the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL)," he said. Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi and senior district officials accompanied Sukhu during the site visit. MSID:: 121728609 413 |
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Time of India
Public employees in Iraq's Kurdish region caught in the middle of Baghdad-Irbil oil dispute
Public employees in Iraq's Kurdish region caught in the middle of Baghdad-Irbil oil dispute (Image: AP) Tensions have escalated between Iraq's central government in Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in the country's north in a long-running dispute over the sharing of oil revenues. The central government has accused the Kurdish regional authorities of making illegal deals and facilitating oil smuggling. Baghdad cut off funding for public sector salaries in the Kurdish region ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday. Kurdish authorities called the move "collective punishment" and threatened to retaliate. A long-running dispute It's the latest flare-up in a long-running dispute between officials in Baghdad and Irbil, the seat of the Kurdish regional government, over sharing of oil revenues. In 2014, the Kurdish region decided to unilaterally export oil through an independent pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. The central government considers it illegal for Irbil to export oil without going through the Iraqi national oil company and filed a case against Turkey in the International Court of Arbitration, arguing that Turkey was violating the provisions of the Iraqi-Turkish pipeline agreement signed in 1973. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Iraq stopped sending oil through the pipeline in March 2023 after the arbitration court ruled in Baghdad's favour. Attempts to reach a deal to restart exports have repeatedly stalled. Last month, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government travelled to Washington, where he inked two major energy deals with U.S. companies. The federal government in Iraq then sued in an Iraqi court, asserting that it was illegal for the regional government to make the deals without going through Baghdad. Iraq cuts off funds for public employees in Kurdistan The Iraqi Ministry of Finance announced a decision last month to halt funding for salaries of public sector employees in the Kurdistan Region. The move sparked widespread outrage in Irbil, triggering strong political and public reactions. The ministry said in a statement that the decision was due to the Kurdish regional authorities' "failure to hand over oil and non-oil revenues to the federal treasury, as stipulated in the federal budget laws." It added that any transfer of funds would be conditional on "the region's commitment to transparency and financial accountability." The federal Ministry of Oil accused Irbil of failing to deliver crude oil produced in the region's fields to the ministry for export through the state-run SOMO company, which it said had led to massive financial losses amounting to billions of dollars. The ministry warned that "continued non-compliance jeopardizes Iraq's international reputation and obligations, forcing the federal government to reduce oil production in other provinces to stay within Iraq's OPEC quota - which includes Kurdistan's production, regardless of its legality." Accusations of oil smuggled out of Kurdistan Baghdad has also accused Irbil of smuggling oil out of the country. An Iraqi official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly said the government had tracked 240 cases of illegal border crossings from Iraq's Kurdistan Region into Iran between Dec. 25, 2024, and May 24, 2025, aimed at smuggling oil derivatives. The Kurdish region's Ministry of Natural Resources in a statement called those allegations "a smokescreen to distract from widespread corruption and smuggling in other parts of Iraq. The KRG agreed to sell its oil through SOMO, opened an escrow account, and handed over revenues - yet Baghdad failed to meet its financial obligations." It accused the federal government of being responsible for the halt in oil exports via Turkey due to the lawsuit it filed in 2023 and said the Kurdish region had delivered over 11 million barrels of oil to the Ministry of Oil without receiving any financial compensation. The ministry accused Baghdad of "violating the constitution and pursuing a deliberate policy of collective punishment and starvation against the people of the Kurdistan Region" through the halt in funding for salaries. Barzani in a statement on the eve of the Eid al-Adha holiday described the withholding of salaries as an "unjust and oppressive decision" and a "policy of mass starvation" comparable to the chemical attacks and "genocide" launched by Iraq's former long time strongman ruler, Saddam Hussein, against the Kurds. "The people of Kurdistan have resisted with steadfastness and courage in the face of all forms of pressure and tyranny" and "regret was the fate of the tyrants," he said. In the meantime, residents of the Kurdish region feel caught in the middle of the yearslong political dispute once again. Saman Ali Salah, a public school teacher from the city of Sulaimaniyah, said the salary cut off comes at a particularly bad time for him - his daughter was hit by a car 40 days ago and is still in the hospital. He blamed both Baghdad and Irbil for the situation. "All the money I had was spent on transportation from the house to the hospital and I haven't paid my rent for the past two months," Salah said. "I don't know what to do. All I can say is that God will take revenge on these so-called officials on Judgement Day."
India Today
15 hours ago
- India Today
Will Pak army blink? Buzz of ex-PM Imran Khan's release on June 11
A claim by a top leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) about jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's likely release hints that Army Chief Asim Munir may have finally flinched. Gohar Ali Khan, the chief of Khan's PTI, claimed that the former prime minister, who has been incarcerated since August 2023, is likely to be granted bail on June 11, reported news agency assertion by Gohar Ali Khan comes just days after Imran Khan appointed himself patron-in-chief of the PTI, even as he announced the planned nationwide protests which he vowed to lead from behind bars. Gohar's claim also follows reports of behind-the-curtain negotiations for Khan's release, claims the former PM has firmly with swelling public support and Imran Khan's decision to steer nationwide protests from his prison cell, Army Chief Asim Munir, already on the back foot after India's Operation Sindoor, may have felt the pressure, prompting what may be seen as a quiet retreat from his KHAN'S HIGH-STAKES BAIL PLEA HEARING ON JUNE 11 The Islamabad High Court (IHC) is scheduled to hear the petitions seeking suspension of sentences of Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the GBP 190 million Al-Qadir Trust case on June 11, a day that PTI chief Gohar Ali Khan has described as key for the Khan offered no specifics, June 11 would be an important day for both Khan and his wife, Gohar Ali Khan claimed, according to a report in the Karachi-based ARY added that no compromises will be struck for Imran Khan's freedom, according to news agency Islamabad High Court had previously postponed the hearing of petitions in the Al-Qadir Trust case to June Khan, facing multiple cases, has been held at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail since August 2023, a detention he calls illegal. In response, the PTI has launched numerous protests, including the siege of Islamabad in November 2024, demanding his Bibi, wife of Khan, was jailed for 14 years in January 2024 after being convicted in the Toshakhana case for illegally retaining and selling state defiant stand against the Munir-led army stems from his ongoing feud with the latter, whom he accuses of orchestrating his ouster and subsequent imprisonment. Khan has also alleged Munir's personal involvement in the 14-month incarceration of his wife, Bushra Bibi, describing it as an act of vengeance, saying, "It is Asim Munir's vindictive nature that is behind Bushra Bibi's unjust incarceration and deplorable inhumane treatment in prison (sic)."advertisementGohar Ali Khan's claim that Khan is likely to secure bail on June 11 in the Al-Qadir Trust case follows Khan's announcement last week, where he declared himself patron-in-chief of PTI and vowed to lead a nationwide protest movement from prison. Gohar's statement also comes after Khan directed his party to prepare for a mass movement across Pakistan against the military and government, whom the cricketer-turned-politician has termed as "mandate thieves".PAK MILITARY UNDER PRESSURE POST-OPERATION SINDOORThe Pakistani Army under Asim Munir, already grappling with domestic unrest, is facing heightened scrutiny following India's Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory strike against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and operation, launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, exposed vulnerabilities in Pakistan's military strategy and dented Munir's public this, Munir was elevated to Field Marshal, a move seen by many as an act of face-saving and Ali Khan's claim about Khan's impending release could signal a retreat by Munir, or just another move in the military's political chessboard. But in Pakistan, a land of contradictions, nothing is certain until June 11 actually InMust Watch
