Rubio: Al-Zaidi sent good signals to Washington, and the issue of Iraqi sovereignty will top the agenda of his upcoming visit.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed on Thursday that Washington had received “good signals” from the Iraqi government headed by Ali Faleh al-Zaidi regarding the issue of armed factions, stressing that strengthening Iraq’s sovereignty would be the main focus of al-Zaidi’s upcoming visit to the US capital soon.
In response to a question from a reporter during a press conference held in the Bahraini capital, Manama, Rubio said, “The support that Tehran provides to armed factions represents a blatant example of Iran’s interference in Iraqi affairs through its proxies,” adding, “But we have recently seen good and constructive signals from the current Iraqi government in this regard,” alluding to the process of disarming the factions and limiting security decision-making authority to the state.
The US Secretary of State added that al-Zaidi will visit Washington soon, adding: “We hope to continue working together to affirm and strengthen Iraq’s full sovereignty, and this issue will be at the top of the agenda for discussions during the visit, during which he will meet with US President Donald Trump.”
Rubio revealed that direct communication channels had recently taken place between the two sides, saying: “We have engaged in direct contacts with the Iraqi Prime Minister, and we see that there are good and positive steps taken by his government, despite our awareness of the great challenges facing al-Zaidi in this matter, and we will continue to closely monitor developments.”
Shafaq.com