Baghdad Summit: PM al-Sudani gets green light on al-Sharaa invite
Shafaq News/ Iraq’s Coordination Framework (CF) has handed Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani full authority to decide on inviting Syrian transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa to the upcoming Arab League Summit in Baghdad, a senior figure revealed on Wednesday.
“All Framework factions back the success of the summit,” said Uday al-Khadran, a leading member of the Fatah Alliance headed by Hadi al-Amiri. “Hosting it is a major win for Iraq politically and diplomatically, especially after years of cooling relations with some Arab states.”
A high-level turnout, he told Shafaq News, would boost Iraq’s regional status and send a strong message about its stability and its return to a central role in the region.
As for Syria’s seat at the table, Khadran noted, “It’s a government matter, and the Prime Minister now has full mandate to make the call.”
In late April, Iraq officially extended an invitation to al-Sharaa to attend the summit scheduled for May 17 in the Iraqi capital.
The invitation, however, has sparked significant political debate within Iraq. Some factions within the CF, including the State of Law Coalition led by Nouri al-Maliki, have expressed opposition to al-Sharaa's participation, citing his past affiliations and an outstanding Iraqi arrest warrant for terrorism charges. Despite the controversy, al-Sudani has maintained that the final decision falls within the government's purview, emphasizing the importance of the summit for Iraq's regional diplomacy.
