The conference of twenty-eighth Arab summit, which was held on the current 29 March, in the resort of the Dead Sea, in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is the first Arab summit conference attended by Haider al-Abadi since he became prime minister of Iraq in August 2014. The follower of the speech delivered at the opening session of the Arab summit conference, he comes to conclusion that Haidar Abbadi is the man who can be described as a man of the state in Iraq. On the side of the internal politics of Iraq, he stressed in his speech on the unity of the Iraqi people and that the victory over the organization Daesh terrorist is difficult to achieve without relying on the unity that emerged at the height of security, economic, political and military ordeal that Iraq has gone through and is still passing through. A statesman qualities are honesty and frankness with his people and the Arab leaders at the summit conference when he stressed that Iraq with its religious , ethnic , doctrinal and intellectual diversity paid a heavy price because of a hate speech and sectarian incitement. And Iraq as a people and as a state will recover after the elimination of Daesh from all its crises experienced by. Iraq will also continue, on the basis of the program of Haider Abadi, a comprehensive reform march of its political, economic and social aspects.
On the importance of the Arab dimension in the speech of Haider Abadi, the Iraqi prime minister has been very clear, noting that al-Abadi as a state man in Iraq is deeply aware that the Arab countries and the Arab identity form the strategic depth that is difficult to do without it, as pointed out in his speech that Iraq is among Arabic states which contributed to the founding of the League of Arab States. It is worth noting that Iraq was among the Arab countries that attended the Arab Conference held in Alexandria in 1944, which was historically known by the Alexandria Protocol in 1944, which paved the way for the founding of the League of Arab States on 22 March 1945. The importance of the Arab dimension was appeared in Iraqi politics also when Haider Abadi, the Iraqi prime minister called on all Arab countries to participate in the reconstruction and stability efforts in the provinces after clearing Iraq from the organization Daesh.
In line with this understanding , the speech of Haider al-Abadi has emphasized the strengthening of inter-Arab cooperation and ending the side differences and conflicts as a strategic objective for the benefit of all Arab countries, and evidenced of this by two things: first, the Iraqi Council of Ministers decided, on the current March 28 to start of procedures to lay strategic oil pipeline from Najaf to the Jordanian port of Aqaba noting that the line of the oil runs from the city of Najaf, along the Saudi border to reach the Aqaba; to transfer about one million barrels of oil, and meets the Jordan’s needs of crude oil, which is estimated at 150 thousand barrels per day by feeding Jordanian al-Zarqa refinery, with Export the rest through the port of Aqaba and in conjunction that Jordan is supplied with quantities of natural gas to generate electricity. Iraq and Jordan signed on the ninth of April 2013, a framework agreement for the transport of oil from Iraq to Jordan through a pipeline at a cost of about $ 18 billion, but the project was delayed due to the control of the organization Daesh on land in the west of the country on which the line will pass through. Second, for the Arab summit sidelines Haider al-Abadi,the Iraqi Prime Minister met with King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, King of Saudi Arabia. Statement of the Office of the Haider al-Abadi said that it was discussed during the meeting to promote bilateral understanding and cooperation in trade and economic fields, investment and joint security coordination, and it was also addressed to what it was described by the statement as the victories achieved by Iraqi forces on Daesh. The meeting between Haider Abadi, the Iraqi Prime Minister and King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, king of Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of the Arab summit is to establish a new phase in Iraqi – Saudi Arabia relations, which will be reflected positively on all the interactions of Arab and regional issues. He also met on the sidelines of the summit, the kings and heads of other Arab countries.
Haidar Abadi has gained , since he came to rule Iraq with international support and on the forefront is the support of the United States of America, both under the previous US administration or the administration of the current US President Donald Trump, who met Haider al- Abadi in the White House in the current March , and enjoys of Arab and regional support , this support would encourage Haidar al-Abadi to act as a positive mediator between Saudi Arabia and Iran to end the conflict between them, which is more like a state of “proxy war” namely in Syria and Yemen, and to be settled by peaceful means, before they worsen and reach the stage of the edge of the abyss that means a Direct military confrontation . No one who is keen on the security and stability of the Arab environment and Middle Eastern wants to see that the final scene of the Iranian- Saudi conflict in our region. Haidar Abadi, according to properties owned by him as the statesman who is keen on the prosperity of his country and the countries of the region may be able to foil this scene. But the question that arises in this context: Will some Iraqi parties against him and the armed factions allow him to do this positive role? Which in the case of achievement it , that means to end a page of conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran , this achievement will be counted for Iraq as a pivotal country in the Middle East region that can solve the conflict in the region, and that achievement will be calculated for Haider al-Abadi to confirm that he is a statesman working to extinguish the fires in the Middle East?
It is useful to note here that Haidar Abadi, the Iraqi prime minister is not among the leaders who send their country to war noting that although Haider al-Abadi rejected the Turkish military presence in the camp Ba’shiqah Nineveh province, but he preferred to settle this matter by peaceful means and not military, as experience proves that Haidar al-Abadi received rule of Iraq while the organization Daesh was controlling 40% of the total area, and here Iraq today is just around the corner from full clearing of soil from that organization . In this context, the follower of what is going on in the Arab summit to comprehend the hospitality of receiving of Haider Abadi in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
The Iraqi Studies Unit
Translated by: Mudhaffar al-Kusairi
Rawabet Center for Research and Strategic Studies