Summit with an agenda: Iraq demands to open a case against the leader of Syria

Iraqi MPs have appealed to the prosecutor's office demanding that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa be detained if he attends the Arab League summit in Baghdad. As stated to Izvestia in parliament, more than 50 deputies signed a document calling for blocking the entry of the Syrian leader and launching an investigation into terrorism charges. Earlier, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani extended an invitation to the head of the Syrian administration to attend the Arab League summit. A deputy from the largest parliamentary coalition told Izvestia what the main motive of the appeal was.

Iraq opposes Syrian president's visit

A political crisis is breaking out in Iraq: more than 50 members of the country's parliament have demanded the detention of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa if he attends the upcoming Arab League summit to be held in Baghdad on May 17. A source in the legislature told Izvestia that a corresponding appeal has already been sent to the office of the Prosecutor General.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known in the past as Abu Muhammad al-Julani, the former leader of the Jabhat al-Nusra group (a terrorist organization banned in Russia), has caused internal discussions in Iraq. The reason for the controversy was his possible participation in the Arab League summit, which is scheduled to be held in the Iraqi capital.

"The main motive of our appeal is loyalty to humanistic and national principles," Zahra al—Bajari, a member of the Coordination Structure, the largest parliamentary coalition, told Izvestia, commenting on the initiative to prevent the Syrian president from participating in the Baghdad summit. — Inviting a man whose hands are stained with blood contradicts both the aspirations of the peoples and the spirit of Arab unity.

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A parliamentary source told Izvestia that the deputies sent an official request to the Baghdad prosecutor's office demanding that Al-Sharaa be detained if he arrives in Iraq. The document includes charges of terrorism and forgery of documents, referring to his alleged involvement in terrorist attacks and actions against civilians in Iraq after 2003.

— The document that we have presented expresses not so much a political as a moral and humane position. Reconciliation with a regime guilty of mass crimes is a spit in the face of victims and victims," the parliamentarian said.

The situation is complicated by the fact that Al-Sharaa has already received an official invitation from Prime Minister al-Sudani. Despite the protests in parliament, the head of government insists that the presence of the Syrian leader is part of Iraq's diplomatic initiative to restore dialogue in the Arab world.

"Syria is a brotherly state, and we cannot ignore its role in the changing Arab landscape," al-Sudani said. "We must separate the past from the current political reality."

Al-Sharaa was a prisoner in the Camp Bucca filtration camp in the past and had close ties with the leaders of Al-Qaeda (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation) and even with the leader of ISIS (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. After his release, he founded Jabhat al-Nusra, and with the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in 2024, he became the leader of the new Syria.

Representatives of pro-Iranian armed groups also opposed Al-Sharaa's invitation, calling it premature.

— Although the deputies expressed disagreement with this visit, there is no real reason to believe that it will be canceled. So far, this initiative has no real impact on the political process," Iraqi expert Safaa al—Assam told Izvestia.

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International contacts of the Syrian Administration

The process of recognizing the new Syrian government is fragmented. Some countries acted quickly and pragmatically, while others took a wait-and-see attitude. Russia was one of the first powers to declare its willingness to cooperate.

Moscow has repeatedly stressed the importance of dialogue and has already established cooperation with the new leadership of the country. There were no demands from the Syrian government for the withdrawal of Russian troops. At the end of January, a Russian interdepartmental delegation visited the SAR, the first since the change of power. An important topic of negotiations then was the issue of preserving Russian military bases.

Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian President's special Representative for the Middle East and Deputy Foreign Minister, acknowledged that the situation remains uncertain. Earlier, in an interview with Izvestia, he said that the Russian Federation's position on Syria remains unchanged, despite the political situation, and is based on friendship and partnership. By the way, a ship with 6 thousand tons of wheat recently arrived at the port of Latakia. According to the Reuters news agency, the delivery came from the Russian Federation.

During the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on April 17, the situation in Syria was discussed. The Qatari leader said that the head of the new Syrian administration is determined to continue cooperation with Russia.

The reaction in the Arab world was mixed. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have relied on rapid normalization: Riyadh sent humanitarian missions and received a Syrian delegation in January, and Doha began negotiations on economic cooperation. This contrasts with the approach of the United Arab Emirates, which were among the main supporters of the former regime. We met with new Syrian representatives in Abu Dhabi, but we chose not to advertise our support.

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The United States is not actively cooperating with the Syrian leadership and has not yet demonstrated its readiness for a broad political dialogue. At the same time, in March, the American side handed over to the Syrian authorities a list of conditions, the fulfillment of which could lead to a partial easing of sanctions. Among them are the destruction of the remaining stocks of chemical weapons, cooperation in the fight against terrorism, the prevention of senior positions by foreign fighters and assistance in the search for American Austin Tice, a journalist who disappeared in Syria 12 years ago. The EU has already decided to suspend some sanctions.