Iraqi foreign minister meets US envoy, says government formation ‘internal matter’

By Ahmed Khalifa

ISTANBUL (AA) – Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein called the formation of the country’s new government an “internal matter,” saying Baghdad takes into account the views of international partners, particularly the US.

Speaking during a meeting in Baghdad with US envoy Tom Barrack, Hussein stressed “the need to continue communication and coordination during the coming phase until the process of forming the Iraqi government is completed,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement cited by the state news agency INA.

Last month, the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shiite parties, announced the nomination of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for premiership. The nomination, however, was opposed by US President Donald Trump, who threatened to end support to Iraq if Maliki is reinstalled.

Maliki served two terms as prime minister from 2006 to 2014, a period marked by major security challenges, including the rise of the ISIS (Daesh) terror group, which seized large swaths of the country before Iraq declared victory over it in 2017.

Under Iraq’s power-sharing system, the presidency is held by a Kurd, the prime minister is a Shiite and the speaker of parliament is a Sunni.

Barrack, for his part, expressed appreciation for the step taken by the Iraqi government to transfer ISIS (Daesh) members from detention centers abroad to Iraqi prisons, “as part of strengthening Iraq’s sovereignty and assuming its legal responsibilities,” the statement said.

According to the statement, the meeting also addressed the agreement between the Syrian government and YPG/SDF terror group.

Both Iraqi and US sides expressed “their support for this agreement and the need to adhere to its implementation, given its direct impact on enhancing security and stability in Syria.”

On Monday, Baghdad announced the full dismantling of the Al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria and the transfer of 22,000 of its residents to Iraq.

In addition to families of ISIS members, the camp housed thousands of Syrians and Iraqis who fled following the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and during Syria’s internal war between 2011 and 2024.

Hussein and Barrack also discussed the Iranian–American relations and the course of ongoing nuclear negotiations between the two sides.

The Iraqi foreign minister warned of “the danger of any potential war breaking out and its repercussions for the entire region,” the statement said.

He emphasized Iraq’s support for a peaceful track and its strong backing for the upcoming round of negotiations between Washington and Tehran in Geneva on Thursday under Omani mediation.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel