Analysts: Possible Iraqi mediation in Yemen will take place under Iranian supervision before the Houthis weaken
English - Sunday 30 July 2023 الساعة 04:11 pm
Al-Mocha, NewsYemen, exclusive:
Iraqi political analysts talked about what Iraq could do in the context of a comprehensive calm in Yemen and push for a political settlement towards achieving a comprehensive agreement that ends the war.
Abdul Qadir al-Nayel, a member of the Iraqi National Pact, said in an interview reported by the Russian website "Sputnik", that Iraq can play an important role in pressuring the Houthis in order to reach solutions with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and under Iranian supervision, and it is likely that this Iraqi role will come "before The Houthis will be weakened, and thus the chances of obtaining concessions from Saudi Arabia will decrease.”
Al-Nayel added, "The government authorities in Iraq have influence in many of the region's files because of its proximity to the Iranian axis," referring to Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, and that Iraqi mediation "is characterized as the best and most effective, given the relations it has with the actors in the Yemeni war."
Although he did not explicitly mention the support of the Iraqi authorities close to Iran to the Houthi militia financially or militarily, the Iraqi political analyst indicated that "the situation of financial liquidity that Iraq is going through during this period may affect its support for Sana'a, and this weakness in liquidity due to the ongoing US sanctions that have prolonged Finally, 14 Iraqi banks, led by the "Al-Alam" Bank of Mr. Ali Al-Alaq, Director of the Central Bank of Iraq, put pressure on the Iraqi government authorities to get rid of the outstanding files that drained Iraq's budget," he said.
Al-Nayel continued, "The US federal government and the US ambassador put a condition on the Sudanese government to give up external support in exchange for economic support," which prompts Iraq to play a mediating role in the Yemeni file.
The member of the Iraqi National Pact touched on the ability of the Iraqi authorities to bring views closer between Iran and its proxies in the Arab region on the one hand, and between countries opposed to the expansion of Iranian influence on the other hand, but he said that Iraqi mediation will still lack the role of guarantor of the implementation of agreements, as happened when the Iranians and the Saudis took The Iraqi lands are an arena for their dialogue, but upon reaching the agreement, "the Chinese dragon came out to be the guarantor of the implementation of the agreements and not to violate them." Al-Nayel did not rule out that Iraq would embrace dialogues between the Houthi militia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, similar to the role played by the Sultanate of Oman, but stressed that the Iraqi mediation will eventually need a guarantor to implement any agreements that will result from the possible meetings that may take place in the Iraqi arena.
entanglement of interests
In the same context, Iyad Al-Anaz, also an Iraqi political analyst, said: “Baghdad is seeking to return in a regular and calm manner to its Arab role and its impact on the entire existing Arab situation, and the political crises that the Arab system suffers from, in the absence of any leading role for the Arab League to end the differences between the Arab countries. And establishing joint Arab action to end the tragic conditions the Arab nation is witnessing.
He added, in his speech to “Sputnik”: “The Yemeni dispute is rooted and has regional and international dimensions, and the supreme interests of the major countries intertwine in it at the expense of the life and existence of our Yemeni Arab people, and for this reason, most international mediations have not been able to achieve any progress to end the fighting and find a solution that satisfies all parties, and even The role of the United Nations and its special envoy, as well as the European Union, did not reach radical solutions to end the fighting in Yemen.
The difficulty of negotiations and the intransigence of the Houthis
Al-Anaz stressed that the difficulty of the negotiations lies in the reluctance that the Houthis always show, the nature of the conditions they present and the foundations upon which they base any process of sitting at the negotiating table.
The political analyst pointed out that the political role of Iraq will be through many main doors, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the nature of the relationship with the Yemeni legitimacy, which led to the signing of a new understanding formula after the visit of the Yemeni Foreign Minister to Baghdad, a few days ago.
Al-Anaz pointed out that there are political parties and armed factions that have good relations with the Houthis, a delegation of whom had previously visited Baghdad to participate in one of the celebrations, which may contribute to supporting the Iraqi government in its endeavor to find mediation that contributes to containing the Yemeni crisis and finding appropriate solutions to it, he said.
