An official communique by the White House said the meeting between the President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is scheduled for April 15.
Washington, United States: United States President Joe Biden plans to host Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, amid formal talks between the two nations about winding down a US-led military coalition which was formed to fight the Islamic State terrorist organisation in Iraq.
An official communique by the White House said the meeting between the two leaders is scheduled for April 15.
The leaders will “consult on a range of issues,” including the fight against the Islamic State and “ongoing Iraqi financial reforms to promote economic development and progress toward Iraq’s financial independence and modernization,” the White House said.
US and Iraq have a delicate relationship due in part to Iran’s considerable sway in Iraq, where a coalition of Iran-backed groups brought al-Sudani to power in October 2022.
In recent months, the United States has urged Iraq to do more to prevent attacks on American bases in Iraq and Syria that have further roiled the Middle East in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
It’s also sought to apply financial pressure over Baghdad’s relationship with Tehran, restricting Iraq’s access to its own dollars in an effort to stamp out money laundering said to benefit Iran and Syria.
End of military coalition
Meanwhile, the US and Iraq began formal talks in January about ending the coalition created to help the Iraqi government fight the Islamic State, with some 2,000 U.S. troops remaining in the country under an agreement with Baghdad. Iraqi officials have periodically called for a withdrawal of those forces.
Elizabeth Tsurkov abduction
The visit will also come about a year after the kidnapping in Baghdad of Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian academic at Princeton University who is believed to be held by an Iran-backed militia, Kataib Hezbollah, that is regarded by Washington as a terrorist group and is seen as one of the most powerful armed groups in Iraq.
Notably, Kataib Hezbollah was formed during the power vacuum that followed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, with support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
On Thursday, Tsurkov’s sister, Emma, urged the State Department to declare Iraq a state sponsor of terrorism and called on the White House to make the al-Sudani meeting contingent on the prime minister arranging for the release of her sister — something she said that he was empowered to do.
“I am appalled that Sudani will be allowed to shake President Biden’s hand while his other hand holds the keys to my sister’s shackles,” Tsurkov said at an event outside the Iraqi Embassy in Washington.
(With inputs from the Associated Press)