"Tidbits From TNT" Saturday Morning 8-28-2021
TNT:
Tishwash: Al-Hakim: The summit represents a step towards restoring Iraq's leading role in the region and the world
Today, Saturday, Ammar al-Hakim, head of the National State Forces Alliance, welcomed the participants in the Baghdad Peace and Love Conference for cooperation and partnership with neighboring countries
And he said the wise In a statement received by Alsumaria News, "The summit represents an important step towards restoring the role of Iraq Pioneering in the region and the world," noting that "it is a favorable opportunity to crystallize a new vision of relations, openness and cooperation on the one hand, and affirmation of respect for Iraqi sovereignty and cooperation to resolve differences in the region on the other
He expressed the wise He hoped that its outputs would result in common visions and unified decisions that contribute to the political, security, economic and development stability of the countries of the region link
Tishwash: Complete closure of the Green Zone, and Al-Kazemi's military spokesman reveals the details
On Saturday, a security source reported that the security forces had completely closed the Green Zone, in preparation for the holding of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership.
On Saturday morning, the Egyptian, Jordanian, Iranian, Qatari, Turkish and Kuwaiti delegation arrived in the capital, Baghdad, and before that the French delegation headed by Emmanuel Macron and the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, to participate in the "Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership."
The French President, the Jordanian King, the Emir of Qatar, the Egyptian President, the Kuwaiti Prime Minister, the UAE Prime Minister, the Iranian Foreign Minister, the Saudi Foreign Minister and the Turkish Foreign Minister will participate in the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership.
The source told Shafaq News Agency, "The security forces have completely closed the entrances and exits of the Green Zone, amid heavy security in its vicinity."
In a related context, the spokesman for the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Major General Yahya Rasoul, revealed the nature of the security plan prepared to secure the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership, in the Iraqi capital.
Major General Rasoul told Shafaq News Agency, "The security plan is good, and there are no cutoffs in Baghdad during the period of the summit," noting that "the security plan was meticulously drawn up, and there is no restriction on the citizen."
He added that "Baghdad is going through its normal life today, and the success of the summit conference and the security plan is a message of reassurance to all, the Iraqi people, the countries of the region and the world, that there is an Iraqi government and military leadership capable of moving forward in Iraq and the Iraqi people to safety link
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MountainMole: Meeting in Iraq "Organizers have been tight-lipped on the agenda”, well just make you you push the RV button, please!
Harambe: Iraq hosts regional meeting aimed at easing Mideast tensions | AP News
8/28/21)
BAGHDAD (AP) — Arab heads of state and senior officials from the region including archenemies Iran and Saudi Arabia met Saturday at a conference hosted by Iraq. The meeting is aimed at easing Mideast tensions and emphasizing the Arab country’s new role as mediator.
French President Emmanuel Macron was also attending the Baghdad meeting, hailed as a major boost for Iraq and its leadership. The country had been largely shunned by Arab leaders for the past few decades because of security concerns amid back-to-back wars and internal unrest, its airport frequently attacked with rockets by insurgents.
On Saturday, Iraqi leaders were on hand at Baghdad International Airport to receive the red carpet arrivals. They included Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Jordan’s King Abdullah and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. It was the first official visit to Iraq by the Qatari emir, whose country’s ties with Saudi Arabia are also fraught with tensions. Relations have improved recently since a declaration was signed with the kingdom and other Arab Gulf states to ease a years-long rift.
Among the participants were also the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia, whose rivalry over regional supremacy has often played out to deadly consequences in Iraq and other countries across the region, including Yemen and Lebanon. Saudi Arabia was represented by its foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and Iran with its foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
The high-level meeting sent a message of Arab solidarity with Iraq, which has increasingly been pulled into Iran’s orbit in recent years.
“This summit marks the return of Iraq as a pivotal player in the region,” said political analyst Ihsan al-Shammari, who heads the Iraqi Political Thinking Center in Baghdad. “Having rival parties be seated at the same table is a significant step in that direction.”
Iraqi special forces deployed in Baghdad, particularly around the Green Zone, seat of the Iraqi government, where the meeting was held. Participants were expected to discuss a regional water crisis, the war in Yemen and a severe economic and political crisis in Lebanon that has brought the country to the point of collapse.
Lebanon, which has been without a functional government for the past year, and Syria, which has been suspended from the Arab League since 2011, were not represented at the meeting.
Macron, whose country is co-organizing the meeting, described Saturday’s meeting as “historic,” showcasing Iraq’s return to stability following the ruinous war against the Islamic State group, which was defeated in 2017.
Sunday’s meeting was a chance for Iraqi leaders to underscore their recent efforts to portray Iraq as a neutral mediator in the region’s crises and re-engage with the world after decades of conflict.
“Iraq, which for years has been a headline for war and conflicts, is hosting leaders and representatives of the region today to affirm their support for Iraqi sovereignty and prosperity,” said President Barham Salih.
Earlier this year, Iraq hosted several rounds of direct talks between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, with mid-level officials discussing issues related to Yemen and Lebanon, according to Iraqi officials.
The talks, while significant, fell short of a breakthrough in relations given the deep strains, historic rivalry and continued sporadic attacks on Saudi oil targets by Iran-backed Houthis from Yemen. There has been talk, however, of the potential for Saudi Arabia to reopen its embassy in Tehran, which was ransacked and shuttered following outrage over the execution of a prominent Saudi Shiite cleric in early 2016.
Saudi Arabia and other Arab Gulf states like the United Arab Emirates have called for any nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran to also address its ballistic missile program and support for militias.
Saudi Arabia has sought talks with Iran as the kingdom tries to end its years-long war in Yemen against Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Tehran, meanwhile, appears to have calculated that a gradual detente with Riyadh, a longtime U.S. ally, will work in its favor during renewed nuclear talks with Washington and world powers.
An Iraqi government official told The Associated Press he anticipated Saudi and Iranian officials would hold talks on the sidelines of Saturday’s meetings. He said the aim was to create a political atmosphere for resolving outstanding problems.
Iraq’s message at the summit is that it stands at the same distance from all sides, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give official statements.
After decades of conflict, Iraq is seeking to reclaim a leadership role and status in the Arab world with a centrist policy and a determination among the country’s top leaders to maintain good relations with both Iran and the United States and its regional allies.
The Shiite-majority country lies on the fault line between Shiite Iran and the mostly Sunni Arab world, led by powerhouse Saudi Arabia, and has long been a theater in which Saudi-Iran rivalry for regional supremacy played out.
Mot: --- Don't Think He ever Figured on the RV!!! ~~~
Mot: .. LOL --- Yet More Marital Insight!! --- from Mot of course!! ~~