Source: Iraq, Saudi Arabia, US hold Riyadh security talks
Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Riyadh
Iraqi and Saudi delegations met with representatives of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) in Riyadh on Thursday evening to discuss security developments and the file of armed factions in Iraq, according to Iraqi and Saudi diplomatic sources.
The meeting addressed recent developments in the armed factions file and the options available for dealing with them, an Iraqi diplomatic source said, without providing details about the nature of those options.
On the Saudi side, Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman oversees the file and its related contacts, according to both sources. Managing a principal portion of the security file in communications between Baghdad and Riyadh is General Abdul Amir al-Shammari, director of the office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, PM Ali-Al-Zaidi.
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The participation of Lieutenant General Zaid Hoshi, head of Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service, was welcomed by the Saudi side, the Iraqi source said, as the talks focused on measures Baghdad is taking to control the security situation and prevent a recurrence of attacks launched from Iraqi territory.
The Iraqi security delegation arrived in Riyadh on Thursday, led by al-Shammari. It included National Intelligence Service chief Hamid al-Shatri, Air Defense Commander Lieutenant General Muhannad al-Asadi, and Hoshi.
Riyadh views the security and military changes introduced by al-Zaidi positively, a Saudi diplomatic source said, describing them as a more serious effort by Baghdad to halt attacks targeting the Kingdom and other regional states. Saudi officials now regard al-Zaidi as "serious in limiting the factions' ability to again carry out attacks against the Kingdom and the states of the region."
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Security coordination among Baghdad, Riyadh, and Washington would continue in the current phase, the source added.
The delegation's visit came less than a week after the head of Saudi General Intelligence, Khalid bin Ali al-Humaidan, visited Baghdad and met al-Zaidi. The two sides agreed to continue security coordination and intelligence sharing, and the Iraqi prime minister affirmed that Iraq would not allow its territory to be used as a launchpad for actions targeting other countries.
Baghdad and Riyadh have been working to contain a sharp escalation that erupted in late July, when Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted drones it stated were launched from Iraqi territory toward oil facilities. On July 29, US and Saudi fighter jets carried out strikes inside Iraq that CENTCOM said targeted weapons depots and logistical sites belonging to factions linked to Iran. The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a state-linked, mostly Shiite paramilitary umbrella, said the strikes hit official headquarters belonging to it in six provinces. At least 20 of its members were killed and 32 wounded. Armed factions vowed to retaliate against the United States and Saudi Arabia, set a deadline for the Iraqi government to take a position on the strikes, and the escalation led to the postponement of a planned visit by al-Zaidi to Riyadh.
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Contacts that followed the confrontation gradually led the two countries to resume their security channels. Saudi Arabia informed the Iraqi delegation of its intention to return its diplomatic mission to Baghdad within three months or less, in exchange for guarantees on the security of the mission's premises and personnel, an Iraqi source told Shafaq News on Thursday evening.
The Saudi mission left Baghdad on March 17 against the backdrop of a security deterioration and attacks in the capital, including drone strikes that targeted the Al-Rasheed Hotel. Both countries' security channels remain active, and Riyadh has tied the mission's return to the guarantees now under discussion.
