Biden holds talks with Iraqi prime minister ahead of Gulf summit

RIYADH: US President Joe Biden spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi before the Gulf Cooperation Council summit, which was held in the coastal city of Jeddah.

Speaking about the bilateral partnership, Biden and Al-Kazemi agreed on the need to strengthen coordination to prevent the re-emergence of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq.

During the meeting, they discussed the political differences between the Iraqi parties that prevent Parliament from electing the President of the Republic and forming a government that meets the aspirations of the people.

Biden arrived in this nation last night and will attend a security and development meeting in Jeddah that includes delegations from the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates), as well as the rulers of the United Arab Emirates. Egypt, Iraq and Jordan.

On the first day of his stay in Saudi Arabia, White House President and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman chaired a ministerial meeting to review cooperation in sectors including technology, cyber security, space exploration and public health.

According to the Palestinian expert on Israeli affairs, Hassan Lafi, the Biden administration’s trip to the Middle East comes in the context of the declared fight of the United States against China and Russia for the battle to shape the international order after the end of hegemony. Unipolar

For this reason, the US administration is seeking to regain control of energy resources in the region and at the geostrategic level and seeks to block the way for China and then Russia to prevent it from establishing relations with its allies, especially the analyst Gulf states. compressed.

On his first visit to the region since taking office in 2021, Biden arrived in Saudi Arabia after speaking with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank and strengthening the union with the State of Israel.