Haider Abadi since has become a prime minister of Iraq in August 2014, he tried – and trying- to open up to the Arab countries in general and the Gulf in particular, due to the geographical convergence , history and social composition. He understands the importance of good relations with the Arab Gulf states. Therefore, and in order to return to the warmth of these relationships , confidential conversations with some Arab countries were conducted that it reached to a stage of crystallization and political maturity until the time came to announce it . According to information obtained by the Rawabet Center for the Research and Strategic Studies that Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister and Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE foreign minister will visit Iraq and meet with Iraqi officials, led by Haider Abadi, the Iraqi prime minister .There is also a secret and very limited meetings between Iraqi security forces and the security services of the governments of the Arab states noting that these meetings overseen personally by Haider al-Abadi.
This upcoming visit by the two Arab Gulf ministers comes in the interests of the Iraqi – Gulf relations, for the Gulf side , the visit aims to bring Iraq back to its Arab environment and that does not leave it to the Iranian influence and that does not mean the return to the relation of Iraqi – Gulf alliance as it was in the course of what has been termed in the first Gulf War , “the Iran-Iraq war in 1980 m -1988 m”, but rather is an attempt by the Arab Gulf states not to let Iraq to line up nor bias entirely along with the Iranian regime. The Iraq aims of this visit to get Arab support in the face of Turkey so with this visit of the two Arab ministers to send a message to it that Iraq has a Gulf Arab back to support his position in the context of the escalating crisis between Turkey and Iraq on the back of the Turkish military presence in the camp of Baishqh of Mosul. And the Turkish insistence on participating in the battle of al-Mosul a gainst Daesh despite of the fierce opposition from Iraq for this participation . This visit is also aimed at the security aspect in activating Arab cooperation and coordination in the face of the phenomenon of terrorism represented by the extremist organizations and to promote economic cooperation between Iraq and the Gulf states.
Iraq lives after the occupation of Kuwait on August 2 1990 a case of the move away from its Arab environment, especially with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and despite the change that took place in 2003 and toppled the government of the Socialist Arab Baath Party, which ruled the country for more than 35 years, but the relations with the Arab environment are no longer as they were previously. Before that – on the other party – and during the “Islamic revolution” in Iran in 1979, Iranian regime began trying to copy the experience by which it overthrew the Shah of Iran and export it to Iraq, but it did not succeed, thus the Iran-Iraq war was erupted , which lasted eight years. Iraq lived a great confusion in the relationship, which moved away from the international community and the imposition of the embargo against it because of the invasion of the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of Kuwait, and charged with possession of weapons of mass destruction, but Iran did not keep silent and continued in its attempts to infiltrate Iraq.
After the fall of Saddam’s regime in 9 of April in 2003, the Iranian regime pushed the Iraqi opposition, which was hosted by it , so it has the biggest role in Iraq since that day and till now, at a time that the Iraq’s relations with the Arab countries were remained “shy” despite the multiplicity of governments but live its best states with Iran . and after that date , a series of scientific seminars were held in Riyadh and other Gulf cities, which looked at how to re-start the relations of Gulf states with Iraq on a new basis, that would enhance the pillars of regional security .
A summary of what has been reached in the discussions is that the Gulf relations with Iraq will not be stable based on the philosophy of balances that resulted in two devastating wars in this region. It was emphasized by the researchers on the principle that balances represents the lure to divide countries in the region rather than to bring them togather. In contrast, there was a common vision that emphasizes that the Gulf states ‘ relations with Iraq can be restored based on the principle of economic integration, and active civil cooperation . And if this path is achieved , it would encircles the controversial issues, and prevents it to be turned into an explosive crises. These issues alone can be settled as a result of a long-term cooperative path.
Politicians analysts attribute the reasons to get away in the Iraqi-Arab relations and who emphasize the importance of its return, including sectarian reason that the Shiite Arabs are governed Iraq after the year 2003. There are those who saw the reason to stay away is the Iranian variable in the general Iraqi scene in terms that the Iranian regime was able to tighten its influence on Iraq and then cancel or confront any role in it. While there is a third opinion attributes the reason to move away to the political division witnessed by Iraq since April / May 2003, to prevent making a unified foreign policy to defend the supreme interests of the country noting that it has become for each of the components a friend or friends in the regional and international environment , to rely on its support in certain times according to its interests before the interests of Iraq. The absence of a unified balance Arab vision , taking into account the complexities of the situation in Iraq, led to undermine the Arab role in Iraq, and thus lost the paper that can be used to balance the US hegemony and influence of regional parties. And that the preoccupation of the Arabs since 2003, talking about the American occupation, and put themselves in the position of defense of the regime of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein , raised the sensitivity of a broad spectrum of Iraqis affected by the Baath regime, at a time when the Iranian regime was the first of countries which recognized of the new Iraqi regime, and it still maintains good relations with most of the political and nationalist and sectarian parties.
In short, Haider Abadi , the Iraqi prime minister is trying to rehabilitate the Iraqi-Arab relations, which are the main entrance of good relations with the Arab Gulf states, noting that he is walking on the road in spite of the internal , external and regional pressures put on him to force him to revoke from it.
Rawabet Center for Research and Strategic Studies