Qatar brings together Syrian and Iraqi leaders to repair relations

18-04-2025

The President of Syria and Prime Minister of Iraq have held their first known meeting since rebels led by the formerly Al Qaeda-linked group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) took control in Damascus. The meeting in Doha took place on Tuesday, an Iraqi government official told The National. It involved Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara, Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim. The three-way talks were not publicised at the time of Mr Al Shara's visit to Qatar. According to Syrian state media, the meeting addressed the issue of joint border security, with both sides "agreeing to strengthen field and intelligence co-ordination between the relevant authorities to counter shared threats". On the economic front, they discussed mechanisms to revitalise trade relations, facilitate the movement of goods and people across border crossings, encourage mutual investment, and explore new avenues for co-operation in energy, transport and infrastructure. The Iraqi News Agency said the discussion focused on "rapid developments in the region, particularly the ongoing situation in Syria", and revealed that Mr Al Sudani said Iraq was "closely monitoring the developments in Syria", as he called for a "comprehensive political process" in the country. Mr Al Sudani made an appeal to 'protect Syria's diverse social, religious, and national fabric as well as safeguarding holy sites, houses of worship and places of prayer", the agency said. It said the Iraqi leader stressed the importance of Syria 'taking practical and serious steps to combat the terrorist organisation ISIS". A day later at the Sulaimani Forum in Iraq, Mr Al Sudani revealed he had invited Syria's President to attend the Arab Summit in Baghdad next month. 'Yes, a formal invitation has been delivered to him, and he is welcome to attend and participate in the Arab Summit,' Mr Al Sudani told The National's Editor-in-Chief Mina Al-Oraibi during a discussion at the forum in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. The Syrian and Iraqi leaders have held one known phone call since the fall of the Assad regime in December. Iraq has long sought stability along its border with Syria, where ISIS remnants and drug trafficking networks continue to pose serious security challenges.

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Iraqi parliament debates law restricting right to protest

Middle East Eye

3 hours ago

Middle East Eye

Iraqi parliament debates law restricting right to protest

Rights groups have expressed concern over new laws being debated in Iraq's parliament that will restrict the right to protest. Legislation has been introduced to the parliament that will introduce new restrictions including on insults to religious sects, a ban on nighttime protests and restrictions on gatherings on public roads, near hospitals, schools and government buildings. The new bill, being debated in parliament on Saturday, will also require prior approval from local authorities for protests at least five days in advance. Ten-year jail sentences could be handed down for those advocating war, terrorism or ethnic, racial or sectarian hatred, while those who desecrate or insult religious symbols or sites could face a minimum of one year in prison and a fine of one million dinars. Amnesty International and the INSM Foundation for Digital Rights criticised the legislation, noting that it comes in the wake of a wider crackdown on dissent, including the arrest of government critics. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'Lawmakers must vote against or propose amendments to any laws that would add to the arsenal of tools that the authorities are already using to restrict civic space or betray Iraq's constitutional and international commitments to protect freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly,' said Razaw Salihy, Amnesty International's Iraq researcher. "However, with no real transparency and no public debate on the current draft, civil society is left guessing what is being put before lawmakers to vote on. In light of Iraq's record on suppression of freedom of expression and assembly, the fear is that the new law will not bring much needed positive changes.' The parliament has claimed the new draft is in line with Iraq's constitutional and international obligations and 'does not restrict peaceful assembly'. At least 20 individuals were prosecuted between January and June this year over what Amnesty said was the peaceful exercise of their human right to free expression. Tensions heating up Iraq has seen regular demonstrations in recent years against entrenched corruption, regular power cuts and violence from state-linked armed groups. Tensions regularly run high in the summer as shortages of power and water make living unbearable in heats that often top 50 degrees. Hundreds of people protested last week near the cities of Hilla and Diwaniyah, south of Baghdad, blocking roads and burning tires, in protest at the shortages. Why Turkey abruptly cancelled an Iraqi oil pipeline agreement Read More » Iraq's water resources ministry has said that 2025 has been "one of the driest since 1933", and that water reserves are down to only eight percent of full capacity. The draft Law on Freedom of Expression and Peaceful Assembly's first readings took place on 3 December 2022 and on 9 May 2023. Following outcry from rights groups, the parliament announced on 31 July that passages referring to freedom of expression had been removed from the law, in the spirit of "not restricting protests". However, there has been little transparency with regards to the alterations made to the original draft and civil society representatives have protested their lack of involvement. William Warda, co-founder of the Hammurabi Human Rights Organization, told Middle East Eye he feared the new legislation did "not adhere to international human rights standards". "Without information, we cannot talk about freedom of expression," he said. He added that Iraq needed to instead strengthen mechanisms for accountability. "I believe that in democratic countries, the private sector should also be subject to the principle of transparency - such as political parties, companies and organisations - for the purpose of criticising anyone who will hold public office in the future or monitoring the work of companies or organisations in democratic countries," he explained.

Iraq PM launches construction works of second Beiji Gas-Fired Power Plant

Al Etihad

5 hours ago

Al Etihad

Iraq PM launches construction works of second Beiji Gas-Fired Power Plant

2 Aug 2025 12:53 BAGHDAD (ALETIHAD)Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al-Sudani launched on Saturday the construction works for the first phase of the Second Beiji Gas Power Plant in Salah al-Din Province, with a total capacity of 1,014 Iraqi News Agency (INA) quoted a statement from the Media Office of the Prime Minister, in which Al-Sudani commended the efforts made to prepare for the launch of this vital project, affirming that the energy sector is a cornerstone of any comprehensive development plan. He explained that the government has allocated the necessary financial resources to develop all sectors of electricity—generation, transmission, and distribution—in order to improve energy production across all regions of the project will be implemented by a consortium of Siemens Energy (Germany) and CSCEC (China). The contract includes the rehabilitation of six Siemens gas generation units, each with a capacity of 169 megawatts, for a total capacity of 1,014 also includes the establishment of a load dispatching network consisting of seven circuits at 400 kilovolts, which will feed six lines into the national grid, as well as the construction of a new 132-kilovolt network comprising 16 lines to serve Salah al-Din first two units are scheduled to be operational within 27 months, followed by the remaining units at a rate of one unit every two months. Source: Aletihad - Abu Dhabi

Russia's Putin meets Syrian foreign minister in Moscow

Dubai Eye

a day ago

Dubai Eye

Russia's Putin meets Syrian foreign minister in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Syria's foreign minister Asaad al-Shibani in Moscow, the first visit by a top official from Syria's new government. Lavrov said Moscow would like Syria's new President Ahmed al-Sharaa to attend a summit between Russia and Arab League member states in Moscow in October. "Of course, we hope that President al-Sharaa will be able to take part in the first Russia-Arab League summit, which is scheduled for October 15," Lavrov said. Moscow has attempted to preserve ties with Syria's new authorities, including offering Damascus diplomatic support over Israeli strikes on Syrian territory. Putin received Shibani and his accompanying delegation at the Kremlin, Syria's state news agency SANA reported without providing further details on the meeting. At a joint news conference, Shibani said his trip to Moscow was intended "to start a necessary discussion ... based on the lessons of the past, to formulate the future". He said he had agreed with Lavrov on establishing two committees tasked with re-evaluating past agreements between Syria and Russia. "There are many opportunities for a united strong Syria, we hope Russia stands with us on this pathway," Shibani said. Lavrov thanked Syrian authorities for ensuring the security of two Russian bases in the country, where Moscow continues to maintain a presence, as well as backing the removal of sanctions on Syria.