PNN – Despite the meeting between the leaders of Iraq and Syria, the reaction of Iraqis on the streets to the meeting shows that a large part of Iraqi society is at odds with the government on this issue. Protesters consider Ahmed al-Sharaa “the perpetrator of the bloodshed of Iraqis” and have described him as someone who is “under the control of the Iraqi judiciary.”
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, official relations between Iraq and Syria have experienced many ups and downs since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government in December 2023. The Syrian issue seems to be in a state of confusion on the Iraqi side. Normally, news of meetings between Iraqi and Syrian officials is rarely published, and Iraqi news sources only publish news of meetings between their country’s government officials and the new Syrian rulers after a few days. For example, Hamid al-Shatari, the head of the Iraqi intelligence service, went to Syria in the last months of 2023 and met with Ahmed al-Sharaa. This news was not announced in the official Iraqi media at the time, and after the news of this meeting was leaked to the Syrian media, the Iraqi media also covered it.
A similar incident took place two weeks ago during a meeting between the current ruler of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and the Iraqi Prime Minister, Muhammad al-Shi’a al-Sudani, in Doha, Qatar. This news was not reflected in the media for two days after the Sudanese and Al-Sharaa meeting, until photos of the two Iraqi and Syrian officials were published in the Syrian media, and it was only then that the meeting became a media event in Iraq.
Sending a security delegation instead of a political delegation
Two days ago, an Iraqi security delegation headed by the head of the country’s National Intelligence Service and ordered by Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani arrived in Damascus to meet with Abu Muhammad al-Julani, the leader of Tahrir al-Sham. According to the official Iraqi news agency, the delegation stressed Baghdad’s support for the unity and territorial integrity of Syria. The delegation is said to have discussed cooperation with the Syrian side in the fight against terrorism and border security.
However, this was the first time that the Iraqi government officially sent a government delegation to Syria. The sending of this government delegation by Baghdad showed that Iraqi officials no longer decided to be conservative in their relations with the new Syrian rulers as in the past, and that these relations were now being pursued more seriously by Baghdad. But on the other hand, instead of sending a political delegation headed by the Foreign Minister, the Iraqi government sent a security delegation. Sending a security delegation instead of a political delegation to Syria shows that the Sudanese government’s concerns regarding Syria are about security issues before political issues. The sending of this delegation was also a message to the government’s opponents in Iraq to show the government that if relations with Syria were renewed, Baghdad would continue to pursue issues of terrorism and border security.
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Iraqi anger
Despite the meeting between the leaders of Iraq and Syria, the reaction of Iraqis on the streets to the meeting shows that a large part of Iraqi society is at odds with the government on this issue. Protesters consider Ahmed al-Sharaa “the perpetrator of the bloodshed of Iraqis” and have described him as someone who is “under the control of the Iraqi judiciary.”
Regarding the issuance of an arrest warrant for Al-Sharaa in Iraq, Iraqi jurist Ali Al-Tamimi said that this warrant has not yet been officially confirmed by Iraqi sources and the validity of this warrant must be verified, but in general, leaders of countries enjoy absolute immunity from the criminal laws of other countries. He told Al-Hurra that this immunity is not for the presidents or rulers of countries, but rather it generally includes those who hold the top leadership of countries, and regardless of their domestic legitimacy or illegitimacy, rulers who hold power in various countries will enjoy this immunity due to their political position. Al-Tamimi notes that there is one exception to the immunity of heads of state, and that is when the leader of a country is wanted by the International Criminal Court and the host country is a signatory to the 1998 Rome Statute of the court. In this case, the host state is obligated to arrest the president and hand him over to the international court under the Rome Statute. However, Iraqi researcher Aqeel Abbas told New Arab that no legal conviction has yet been registered in Iraqi courts against the current Syrian ruler, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Why are Iraqis angry?
Many in Iraq believe that al-Qaeda is currently ruling Syria. Ahmed al-Shara’s extremist background and his name being on other countries’ terrorist lists are among the reasons for Iraqi anger at the current Syrian ruler.
A complaint has been filed by representatives of Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah, accusing Al-Sharaa of leading terrorist groups. Yousef al-Kalabi, a representative of the Coordination Framework in the Iraqi Parliament, said that the protest action in the Iraqi Parliament against the government’s reception of al-Julani in defense of the martyrs, the families of the martyrs, the wounded, the Iraqi people, and the national, moral, and religious conscience was taken by more than fifty members of parliament.
According to Ahmed Kalabi’s explanations, it seems that a large number of members of the Iraqi parliament are strongly complaining about the invitation of Ahmed al-Sharaa. Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, the speaker of the Iraqi parliament, has also announced that he does not welcome the Iraqi government hosting the current ruler of Syria, and would prefer that Sharia law not be imposed on Iraq so that the Shiites are not offended. At the same time, members of the Iraqi parliament have submitted an official request to the Baghdad Public Prosecutor’s Office, calling for the investigation and arrest of Al-Sharaa if he enters Iraqi territory.
What accusations are made against Al-Sharaa?
Iraqis accuse the current Syrian ruler of involvement in bombings and armed activities, as well as using forged documents during his past stay in Iraq. The document mentions his previous alias, “Abu Muhammad al-Julani.” This name, Ahmad al-Sharaa, refers to his leadership of the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
On the other hand, simultaneously with Al-Shara’s official invitation to travel to Iraq, the Iraqi website “Sabrin News” published documents related to the accusations made against the interim Syrian president. One of the documents released is a paper identifying al-Sharaa, signed as “Amjad Muzaffar Hussein al-Nuaimi” in Taji prison, the name al-Sharaa used during his detention in Iraq.
Defenders of the relationship with Ahmad al-Sharaa
Of course, some groups in Iraq also believe that what Al-Sudani did regarding the meeting with the interim Syrian president was a smart and politically wise move, and it reflects his pragmatism and realism. Legal expert Ali al-Tamimi said that the prime minister’s powers are clear under the Iraqi constitution and that he can be the final decision-maker regarding the relationship with the new government in Syria. However, this Iraqi expert did not say that when a large portion of Iraqi citizens are against welcoming the interim Syrian president, how can the Iraqi president ignore public opinion? A question that Iraqi government officials may not have an answer to either.