Latest news with #al-Mousawi
Shafaq News
6 days ago
- Business
- Shafaq News
Following Shafaq Probe, Iraq orders global hunt for "forgotten" billions in state assets
Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to direct ambassadors, consuls, and diplomatic missions abroad to take concrete steps in identifying and reclaiming state-owned assets held overseas. The step came after Shafaq News investigation, citing senior diplomatic sources, revealed that Iraq owns at least 50 properties and investment ventures spread across Europe, Asia, and Africa. These include luxurious palaces, farms, banks, commercial offices, and key industrial facilities, many of which have remained unaccounted for since the fall of the previous regime. Committee member Mokhtar al-Mousawi told Shafaq News that Iraq possesses numerous properties and assets across various countries, all backed by official documentation. However, he stressed that these holdings require serious efforts to be formally registered under the Iraqi state once again. 'These assets include properties that were entrusted to individuals or registered under private names during the former regime. With the right diplomatic engagement, they can be recovered,' al-Mousawi stated. He urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to instruct Iraq's ambassadors and consuls to intensify their efforts to restore these properties—some of which are worth millions of dollars. According to al-Mousawi, notable examples include a large mosque in Australia, expansive tea plantations in Sri Lanka, and agricultural lands in Yemen. On domestic assets tied to the former regime, al-Mousawi noted that some seized properties in Baghdad's Green Zone are now being sold to current occupants at a rate of four million Iraqi dinars per square meter—a figure he criticized as undervaluing the strategic importance and location of these properties.
Shafaq News
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraq's Arab Summit in jeopardy over Khor Abdullah fallout
Shafaq News/ Iraq's upcoming Arab League summit, scheduled for Saturday in Baghdad, may face significant setbacks following regional tensions over the Khor Abdullah waterway dispute, a senior Iraqi lawmaker warned on Sunday. Mokhtar al-Mousawi, a member of parliament's Foreign Relations Committee, told Shafaq News that the renewed controversy over the maritime boundary with Kuwait could lead to high-level Arab boycotts. 'The recent uproar over Khor Abdullah has created a serious obstacle for the Baghdad summit,' al-Mousawi said. 'Following the Gulf Cooperation Council's statement, there is a real possibility that Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE may skip the meeting.' He added that Qatar may align with those countries, and if Doha stays away, 'Syria will likely follow, which would deepen the diplomatic rift and cast a shadow over the summit's success.' The warning follows public criticism from Iraq's Parliamentary Transportation Committee, which last week rejected any discussion with Kuwait at the summit that involves compromising Iraq's position on Khor Abdullah. The dispute centers on a ruling by Iraq's Federal Supreme Court, which in September 2023 annulled Law No. 42 (2013)—the legislation that ratified the bilateral agreement between Iraq and Kuwait over navigation in Khor Abdullah. The court's decision was met with strong opposition from GCC states, which view the 2013 agreement as binding. In response, President Abdul Latif Rashid and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani filed separate appeals with the court on April 15, requesting a reversal of the annulment and reaffirming Iraq's commitment to the treaty. The court postponed final ruling again on April 30, leaving the issue unresolved just days before the summit. The Arab League summit, set for May 17 in Baghdad, is being positioned by Iraqi officials as a platform for regional dialogue on key files—including Palestine, economic integration, and anti-terror cooperation. However, al-Mousawi cautioned that if key Gulf states withdraw, the summit's credibility and effectiveness could be undermined. 'These concerns are not speculative—they are real, and they demand urgent diplomatic engagement,' he said. Government spokesperson Basim al-Awadi previously denied reports of any Arab state declining to attend, stating that all 22 member states had confirmed their participation.
