Macron in Baghdad: An American Mandate for a “Soft” Confrontation?

Baghdad | More than a sign of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. Some Iraqi political sources indicate, in his speech to “Al-Akhbar”, that Macron, with a US-international mandate (until the holding of the US presidential elections in early November), will play a “prominent role” in a series of files from the Middle East region, especially the Lebanese and Iraqi files (because they are interrelated in one way or another). According to sources, this role is due to the concern of the Americans for their upcoming elections and the fight against the Corona pandemic, and the reduction of the level of escalation by the Iranians by more than one level, shortly after the assassination of the Commander of the “Quds Force” of the Revolutionary Guard, General Qassem Soleimani. Here, sources indicate that the French rejected this “crazy” US maneuver, and rushed to contact the Americans to inquire about their motives, expressing their refusal to adopt the “international coalition to fight ISIS” for it, and threatening to withdraw from it and withdraw its forces deployed in Iraq, from where they returned and withdrew. The tremendous American pressure.

Returning to Macron’s visit, prominent Iraqi government sources point out, when speaking with Al-Akhbar, its most salient characteristics as follows:
1- Provide international support to the government and its boss, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, with the aim of strengthening the latter’s approach to “keep Iraq away from the conflictive axes in the region”, who reiterated saying: “We do not want to be a scenario of confrontation, but rather a region of stability and moderation, “while Macron indicated that” France supports Al-Kazemi’s efforts to improve Iraqi sovereignty … and has discussed with him the possibility of stopping foreign interference in Iraqi affairs. Iraqis. “

During the visit a project was announced that “could overcome the chronic shortage of electricity”

2- Provide the necessary economic support to Iraq in various fields, which was translated into announcing cooperation in the field of energy, specifically in working on a “nuclear project that can overcome the chronic shortage of electricity”, which the current government He says he wants to diversify his sources from it, “moving away from political calculations.” “Starting with Iran, passing through Saudi Arabia (the Gulf Cooperation Council) and ending with Egypt (the“ New Sham ”project). As for the French project, it is considered, according to him, “a new and serious option that must be studied, carefully studied, invested and taken advantage of”.
3- Invite international investors and donors to go to “Mesopotamia”, which is a fertile field for investment, which remains like a “wasteland” since the US occupation in April 2003, and the great events that followed since they culminated with the fall of large areas of the country at the hands of the organization “ISIS” in June 2014. Here, the French speak about supporting the “metro project in Baghdad, and the implementation of energy projects and other projects in the scientific fields , cultural and health … especially in the most vulnerable areas ”.
4- Renewal of French support for Iraq in the “war on terror”. In this context, Paris is expected to resume the training program for Iraqi forces after it was detained due to the outbreak of “Corona”. As for the French “jihadists” imprisoned in Iraq, Macron noted that “those who freely chose to go to fight in foreign theaters and were convicted of committing terrorist acts in a sovereign state, should be tried in this country.” (The number of French detainees in Iraq is AND Syria has 150 men, most of whom are being held in camps and detention centers belonging to the “Kurdish administration” in northeast Syria, while Baghdad has sentenced 11 to death. French in their custody).
And Macron announced, before his departure from Beirut to Baghdad, that he had launched an initiative in cooperation with the United Nations to “support the march for sovereignty” in Iraq, which was interpreted by stakeholders as a welcome to the “New Sham “, which calls for the establishment of a common economic market between Iraq, Jordan and Egypt. What is said is that it has the support of the United States to keep Baghdad away from Tehran as a gateway to the economy.

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