Al-Alaq: We are constantly reviewing the deletion of zeros from the dinar

Al-Alaq: We are constantly reviewing the deletion of zeros from the dinar, and there are no restrictions on our balances in America

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The Central Bank of Iraq has reduced reliance on the US dollar in commercial transactions, according to the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Ali Mohsen Al-Alaq, adding that the project to remove zeros in Iraq is under continuous review and study at the bank.

Countries remove zeros from their currency to revalue their national currency and simplify financial transactions. This is done by removing a specific number of zeros from the nominal value of the currency, making it appear less inflationary and more stable.

Al-Alaq confirmed, in an extensive interview with Al Jazeera Net, which was reviewed by "Al-Eqtisad News", that the Central Bank responded to global economic challenges, such as rising energy and raw material prices, by amending some monetary policies in line with the international situation and to enhance confidence in the Iraqi dinar and prevent a sharp decline in its value.

He also stressed that the Central Bank of Iraq increased its holdings of foreign exchange and gold reserves to strengthen the country's financial position and financial stability in order to enhance its ability to confront potential economic crises. These are the details of the dialogue:

What steps have you taken to address the crisis of the dollar’s rise against the Iraqi dinar and reduce the gap between the official price and the black market price?

The Central Bank of Iraq has created new mechanisms to cover the accounts of local banks with their senders in other currencies (Chinese yuan, Indian rupee, euro and UAE dirham) in addition to the dollar, which has reduced reliance on the US currency in commercial transactions for the clients of these banks, as the Central Bank seeks to withdraw excess liquidity in the economy that puts pressure on the exchange rate and to prevent the exported currency from growing in an undesirable manner.

What is the status of the country's foreign reserves?

Foreign exchange reserves are the tool used by all central banks to maintain the stability of the local currency exchange rate against foreign currencies, as well as to reduce exposure to external crises by maintaining liquidity in foreign currency to absorb shocks in times of crisis.

The Central Bank of Iraq has a level of reserves that enables it to achieve this stability and provides it with sufficient flexibility to meet the demand for foreign currencies to meet the requirements of the balance of payments and other obligations.

According to the latest data on the level of foreign reserves adequacy, the foreign reserves of the Central Bank of Iraq cover 83.62% of the broad money supply, i.e. covering the cost of importing 15 months, while the global standard rate is 20%, covering 6 months of importing.

However, foreign reserves management faces global and local challenges according to the economic nature of each country and the economic and geopolitical conditions it is going through.

What are the most prominent contributions of the Central Bank of Iraq in supporting the Iraqi economy?

The Central Bank responded to global economic challenges, such as rising energy and raw material prices, by adjusting some monetary policies in line with the international situation and to enhance confidence in the Iraqi dinar and prevent a sharp decline in its value. The Central Bank raised interest rates to counter inflationary pressures resulting from changes in global prices and domestic demand, and issued new instructions to Iraqi banks to control cash liquidity.

The Central Bank of Iraq has increased its holdings of foreign exchange reserves and gold to strengthen the country's financial position and financial stability.

The bank also launched programs and initiatives aimed at increasing financial inclusion, including enhancing the spread of digital banks and online financial services, in addition to the Central Bank of Iraq’s contribution to sustainable development.
It also played an important role in financing economic and development projects by providing soft loans and special financing programs aimed at supporting productive sectors while continuing to finance small and medium enterprises.

Has the banking sector in Iraq been affected by US sanctions imposed on some banks?

The sanctions imposed on banks are related to the decision to ban dealing in dollars, as the banks were not included in the sanctions list issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and therefore the banks’ activities continue, according to the applicable procedures and in all currencies except the dollar.

As for the situation of the Iraqi banking sector, it is experiencing a state of stability, as government banks still control approximately 79% of the total assets of the banking sector, compared to 21% for private banks.

Are there any restrictions on the bank's use of its funds in the United States?

There are no restrictions on our US accounts, taking into account the application of international standards to combat money laundering and terrorist financing in foreign transfers.

What are the reasons for the low rate of bank card usage in Iraq compared to neighboring countries? What are your steps to overcome this situation?

There are major reasons behind the low use of bank cards in Iraq, most notably the preference of many Iraqis to use cash in their daily transactions due to prevailing customs and traditions, in addition to the limited spread of banking services, as a large percentage of the population, especially in rural areas, remains unconnected to banks.

Finally, lack of financial awareness plays a major role in the reluctance to use bank cards.

To address these challenges, we are working to improve and expand our digital infrastructure. In this context, the Central Bank of Iraq has initiated the establishment of a national electronic payment company to encourage the banking and non-banking sectors and public institutions to develop this infrastructure.

The Central Bank, in cooperation with public and private institutions, is organizing awareness campaigns aimed at increasing public knowledge of the benefits of using bank cards and electronic payment methods to enhance confidence in the banking system.

The number of bank cards in 2023 will rise to 19.75 million cards and the number of bank accounts will rise to 13.3 million accounts.

The bank focuses on improving security and increasing transparency, and has created a platform to manage public complaints related to the financial sector, which helps in developing strategies to address any issues facing financial institutions.

It works to encourage financial innovation by supporting the development of services such as electronic wallets, banking applications, and opening digital banks. It is also currently working to launch a national financial inclusion strategy that includes solutions to most of these challenges, in addition to financial awareness programs targeting various segments of Iraqi society.

All of this resulted in both the number of bank cards in 2023 rising to 19.75 million cards and the number of bank accounts rising to 13.3 million accounts.

Where has the digital banking project come from?

The Central Bank of Iraq issued licensing controls for digital banks in Iraq during May of this year, and is in the process of studying the submitted applications in light of the requirements for digital banks, taking into account the risks and limitations related to digital banks, especially with regard to cybersecurity risks.

The main objective of licensing digital banks is to keep pace with developments in the banking environment, as well as to provide diversity in the provision of banking services in light of technological progress that contributes to enhancing financial inclusion by facilitating customers’ access to banking services.

In light of the International Monetary Fund's statement that Iraq's internal imbalances have worsened due to the large financial expansion and the decline in oil... How do you view its demands to correct the financial situation?

Naturally, the country’s dependence on rentier resources leads to bearing the costs of external shocks that are beyond its control, such as negative oil price shocks, and because the country needs more spending than any stable country due to the conditions it has gone through during decades of wars and destruction, which requires increasing spending on infrastructure, which is the basic pillar of the shift towards economic diversification.

All of this has led to pressure on the capabilities of public finance, especially the revenue side, and thus resorting to borrowing. Therefore, we agree with the International Monetary Fund regarding reforming the public finance situation, and the positive effects this has on supporting the independence of monetary policy in achieving its primary goal, which is the stability of the general price level through controlling liquidity levels.

We agree with the International Monetary Fund regarding the reform of public finances, and the positive effects this has on supporting the independence of monetary policy.

Will removing zeros from the dinar destabilize the financial situation in Iraq?

The process of removing zeros from a currency means replacing the old currency with a new one in order to simplify the accounting process between consumers. It is often resorted to by countries that suffer from high inflation and have become unable to deal with paper currencies of very low value.

Many believe that the process of deleting zeros is an economic and monetary reform process and is resorted to in cases of high inflation and currency collapse, which reduces the feeling of economic collapse (a monetary illusion process). However, if this process is not supported by real economic factors and accompanied by radical reforms, it becomes negative.

The project to remove zeros in Iraq is under continuous review and study at the Central Bank of Iraq, taking into consideration the existence of a volume of issued currency that exceeded 100 trillion dinars after it was 6 trillion in 2004, the year following the exchange of the currency that was undesirable and of poor quality.

In addition to a wide cash supply approaching 179 trillion dinars, which requires specialized cadres, especially in the bookkeeping process, which government banks are still suffering from due to the circumstances the country has gone through.

How will Iraq's repayment of all its debts to the International Monetary Fund affect the country's economic situation as a whole?

Iraq’s repayment of all its debts to the International Monetary Fund, accumulated over the years as a result of the Fund’s loan programs to address the economic challenges that Iraq faced in previous years, could have a positive impact in the long term by enhancing credit and improving financial sustainability, in addition to its repercussions on the country’s economic situation through:

Improve Iraq's economic confidence and credit rating and obtain financing on better terms in the future.

Enhancing the confidence of foreign and local investors in the Iraqi government’s ability to meet its financial obligations.

Achieving greater independence for Iraqi economic sovereignty, making the country less vulnerable to external pressures and interference in its economic policies.

Alleviating financial pressures and reducing financial burdens, which reduces pressure on the general budget.

Directing financial resources towards infrastructure and economic development projects and improving the ability to finance development projects.

Reducing pressure on foreign reserves, which has a positive impact on the stability of the currency and the country’s ability to cover its imports and maintain financial and economic stability.

Where have the Central Bank of Iraq's procedures for localizing salaries of employees in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq reached?

We would like to point out that this bank has taken the necessary measures to complete the process of localizing salaries of employees of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in terms of providing the Federal Court with a list of banks licensed by this bank and operating in the region, and providing the infrastructure and electronic payment systems that support the processes of localizing salaries in the region, which clarifies the controls for opening a bank account and adopting an electronic signature for the same purpose.

Prime Minister arrives in New York

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Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani arrived in New York.

The Prime Minister's Media Office stated in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), that "Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani arrived in New York to participate in the meetings of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly."

The Prime Minister's Media Office stated in a statement issued earlier that the Prime Minister will deliver Iraq's speech before the General Assembly, and will also deliver a speech at the Future Summit, in which many heads of state and presidents will participate, and which is concerned with enhancing cooperation, facing challenges, and affirming commitments.

He continued, "He will also hold a series of meetings and dialogues with a number of leaders and presidents of sisterly and friendly countries, and heads of participating delegations, in addition to meeting with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and a number of officials of international and UN organizations and bodies."

Al-Sudani's advisor: The banking system in Iraq is rentier par excellence

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Mazhar Mohammed Saleh, economic affairs advisor to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, described the banking system in Iraq as rentier par excellence on Saturday, noting that this requires a comprehensive reform process.

Saleh told Shafaq News Agency, "The banking system in Iraq is rentier par excellence, regardless of ownership," noting that it "lives on oil resources and government liquidity directly and indirectly."

He added that "the banking system derives its activities from government spending, which means that it is a market that lacks banking independence and the movement of desired savings in society from the forces of financial surplus towards desired investments to generate high financing for growth and sustainable development."

Saleh stressed that "this requires a comprehensive reform process to create market institutions," indicating that "this enables the banking market to be integrated with the international financial and banking system and become attractive to global banks on a large scale."

Last Thursday, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced the formation of a higher committee to address the work of Iraqi banks in accordance with international financial requirements, while directing private banks to build balanced relations with financial institutions, Arab banks and investors.

The success of electronic payment is an important step for the success of the financial sector

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 A responsible source in the International Smart Card Company described the speed of the community’s response to the reality of electronic payment as acceptable, which bodes well for a promising future for the financial sector.

The source pointed out that there are solid services that are rapidly expanding electronic payment, especially since the interest of the Prime Minister and the instructions of the Central Bank have a major role in the citizen’s harmony with the new developments witnessed in the electronic payment sector.

The source pointed out that the availability of advanced services that suit all categories and segments of society is one of the most important steps towards the success witnessed by electronic payment in the country.

He pointed out that the company and its management realize the importance of following up on the needs of society and working to facilitate them through electronic payment.

Central Bank Governor: Activities of sanctioned Iraqi banks continue in all currencies except the dollar

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The Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Mohsen Al-Alaq, confirmed today, Saturday, the reduction of reliance on the US dollar in commercial transactions, adding that the project to delete zeros in Iraq is subject to continuous review and study in the bank.

The video for this blog is below here:/span>

Countries remove zeros from their currency to revalue their national currency and simplify financial transactions. This is done by removing a specific number of zeros from the nominal value of the currency, making it appear less inflationary and more stable.

Al-Alaq said, in an extensive interview with Al Jazeera Net, which was followed by “Iraq Observer”, that “the Central Bank responded to global economic challenges, such as rising energy and raw material prices, by amending some monetary policies in line with the international situation and to enhance confidence in the Iraqi dinar and prevent a sharp decline in its value.”

He added, "The Central Bank of Iraq has increased its holdings of foreign exchange and gold reserves to strengthen the country's financial position and financial stability in order to enhance its ability to confront potential economic crises."

Regarding the steps taken to address the dollar’s rising crisis, Al-Alaq said, “The Central Bank of Iraq has created new mechanisms to cover local banks’ accounts with their senders in other currencies (Chinese yuan, Indian rupee, euro, and UAE dirham) in addition to the dollar, which has reduced reliance on the US currency in commercial transactions for these banks’ clients, while the Central Bank seeks to withdraw excess liquidity in the economy that puts pressure on the exchange rate and to prevent the exported currency from growing in an undesirable manner.”

Regarding the country’s foreign reserves, the Central Bank Governor explained that “foreign exchange reserves are the tool used by all central banks to maintain the stability of the local currency exchange rate against foreign currencies, as well as to reduce exposure to external crises by maintaining liquidity in foreign currency to absorb shocks in times of crisis.”

“According to the latest data on the level of foreign reserves adequacy, the Central Bank of Iraq’s foreign reserves cover 83.62% of the broad money supply, i.e. covering the cost of importing 15 months, while the global standard rate is 20%, covering 6 months of importing,” according to Al-Alaq.

He pointed out that "the sanctions imposed on banks are related to the decision to ban dealing in dollars, as the banks were not included in the sanctions list issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and therefore the banks' activities continue, according to the applicable procedures and in all currencies except the dollar."

Regarding the situation of the Iraqi banking sector, Al-Alaq said that it “is experiencing a state of stability, as government banks still control approximately 79% of the assets of the total banking sector, compared to 21% for private banks.

 

Prime Minister's meeting with the Banking Association.. Decisions to support and confirm the role of banks in development

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The reception of the Prime Minister of the Chairman of the Private Banks Association and some banks was an important and specialized discussion to address the challenges and obstacles of banking work and what has been achieved from the efforts made by the government and the Central Bank in implementing what is stated in the government program regarding the steps of financial and banking reform and emphasizing that there is no alternative but to have solid Iraqi banks that depend in their work on regularity and commitment to international financial and banking standards and that they have a clear contribution to development according to what is included in the investment map in the National Development Plan for the years 24-28 and that they adopt building balanced relations with Arab and international financial and banking institutions.

 

The decision to form a higher committee to address the obstacles to banking work and the Central Bank’s contracting with the specialized international company will certainly be a fundamental step towards developing the banking and financial sector. In order for the decisions of the Prime Minister to be considered supportive of the banking sector, we must clarify that the banking sector has been suffering since 2003 until now from failures, challenges and repercussions related to the loss of methodology, lack of clarity in policies and programs, and the lack of consistency of strategies with the reality of the Iraqi economy, which has one resource and depends mainly on oil revenues, which has led to a structural and structural imbalance in the economy and a lack of stability in the financial and monetary system.

 

 Due to the deficit in non-oil revenue, the deficit in the balance of payments, the deficit in the general budgets, and the lack of coordination between fiscal and monetary policies, in addition to the mismanagement of public funds. There is also the lack of real support for the private sector in general and the private banking sector in particular, and not giving it an effective role in making economic decisions.

 

 As far as I know about economic, financial and banking affairs and the executive procedures for monetary policy applications, the government and the Central Bank played a major role during the years 2023 and 2024 in developing and implementing effective measures for economic and banking reform, activating the economic cycle, regulating foreign trade financing, activating programs for the transition from a cash economy to a digital economy, restructuring the government banking sector, developing plans to restructure the private banking sector, re-extending coordination bridges between financial and monetary policies, proposing economic and structural policies to prepare and present general budgets for the coming years, and attempts to restore confidence in the banking system.

 

While we support the reform policies and programmes of the banking sector, we stress the necessity of involving representatives of the private banking sector in the Economic and Financial Reform Cell in the Council of Ministers and for banks to be represented in the Ministerial Council for the Economy and the central committees specialised in banking activity working in the Council of Ministers, because achieving sustainable development, financial sustainability, diversifying national income resources and stimulating the real sector of the economy requires banking financing that begins with financing small, medium and micro enterprises.

The framework determines the type of response if Washington delays its exit from Iraq

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Today, Saturday (September 21, 2024), the leader of the Coordination Framework, Saad Al-Saadi, determined the type of response if Washington delays its exit from Iraq .

Al-Saadi told Baghdad Today, "Expelling American forces from Iraq is necessary for the country's security, as their presence is ominous, and our demands are supported by the people, parliament, and government at the same time."

He added, "The negotiating delegation headed by the Minister of Defense has set an agreement with Washington for a gradual withdrawal from Iraq according to a timetable, and if the resistance feels that the American administration is procrastinating, the resistance will be present and ready to force it to leave."

He pointed out that "the American administration is directly responsible for the massacres of innocents in Lebanon and Palestine by supporting the Zionist entity," stressing that "the White House cannot evade supporting the crimes of genocide that have targeted the presence of Palestinians in Gaza for many months, so that the death toll has reached more than 40 thousand and many times more wounded and missing."

The number of American forces in Iraq has declined since the beginning of the invasion in 2003, from about 130,000, and remained fluctuating between 100,000 and 150,000, but it rose again to about 170,000 with the intensification of sectarian violence in 2007 .

At the end of 2011, the United States ended its invasion of Iraq under President Barack Obama, and withdrew its forces from the country, with the exception of a small number of military advisors.

On September 8, 2024, Defense Minister Thabet Al-Abbasi stated that American forces would leave the country by 2026 .

News also leaked that Washington and Baghdad reached an agreement in the same month regarding the withdrawal of international coalition forces from Iraq according to a plan to be implemented in stages during the years 2025 and 2026 .

Reuters quoted sources as saying that the plan includes the withdrawal of hundreds of coalition forces by September 2025 and the rest by the end of 2026.

Implementation of 4223 procedures within the government program

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 Without getting tired or bored, the government team assigned by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani is following up on the stages of implementing the government program in a step aimed at ensuring achievement and its speed, in addition to covering all sectors and joints of the state.

According to the official government spokesman, Bassem Al-Awadi, to "Al-Sabah", "the government program has followed up on 4,223 procedures during the first 6 months of the current year 2024, and the percentage of achievement and realization of the government program was 62% during the life of the government." Al-Awadi added that "the team dealt with 879 government procedures that represent the targets of the government program, and with 1,426 procedures related to the five priorities of the program." He pointed out that "1,928 procedures were followed up within the goals of all ministries." The official spokesman explained that "the team follows up on all inputs and outputs of government procedures related to ministries, governorates and independent bodies, counts the rates of achievement in them, follows up on the rates of deviation and their circumstances and finds solutions for them with the parties concerned."

According to tables obtained by Al-Sabah, the measures that Al-Awadi spoke about relate to “working urgently to improve and develop services that affect the lives of citizens, supporting poor, vulnerable and low-income groups of citizens, in addition to addressing the phenomenon of unemployment and creating job opportunities for young men and women, combating administrative and financial corruption, reforming the economic and financial sectors, especially agriculture, industry and the banking sector, and supporting the private sector.”

Israel announces attacking Hezbollah targets and missile platforms and removing threats to its citizens

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 The Israeli army announced, on Saturday, that it had attacked Hezbollah targets and missile platforms and removed threats to its citizens.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a tweet on his official account on the "X" platform: "In the last hour, we are launching extensive raids in southern Lebanon after monitoring Hezbollah's preparations to launch rockets towards Israeli territory."

He added: "Dozens of warplanes are attacking terrorist targets and missile platforms to remove threats to Israeli citizens."

He continued: "We are carrying out raids systematically and stripping Hezbollah of its ability to launch missiles towards Israel in addition to eliminating its leaders and members."

In a separate tweet, Adraee noted that "due to the assessment of the situation and our military operations, the Minister of Defense declared a special situation on the home front, and therefore we changed the shelter policy on the home front from the Haifa area north to the shelter policy 2, which means that in the Haifa area and north it is permissible to hold educational activities and go out to work centers in places."

"We are ready for the next steps and remain at a high state of readiness, offensively and defensively. Air Force aircraft are armed and ready to attack everywhere. Air defense systems remain deployed and ready to intercept threats," he added.

The Israeli army radio reported that the army bombed new Hezbollah targets on Saturday evening, after it reported bombing thousands of rocket launchers and other targets earlier.

The statement said that the army is "currently bombing Hezbollah targets in Lebanon," without further details.

Channel 12 Israel reported that the army launched about 80 raids on sites in Lebanon.

Government confirms its adoption of a "constructive economic policy"

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Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani met today, Friday, with the head of the Victory Coalition, Haider Al-Abadi, where the meeting witnessed discussions on a number of issues and files related to the work of the legislative and executive authorities.

The two sides reviewed "ways to enhance cooperation and accelerate the basic requirements for implementing the government programme in various fields."

During the meeting, Al-Sudani stressed that the government is adopting a constructive economic policy, improving the level of services that citizens receive from state agencies, alleviating their suffering, and completing the infrastructure that will provide an additional boost to development projects at various levels. 

On the eve of his departure to New York, Al-Sudani de-escalates tensionswith 3 meetings with the leaders of the “Framework ”

 

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The Prime Minister will hold meetings with world leaders and present his government's

achievements.

It seems that Mohammed Al-Sudani, the Prime Minister, has greatly eased the tensions at home after holding meetings with the leaders of the “Coordination Framework” on the eve of his departure from New York to attend the United Nations meetings for the second time since he assumed power about two years ago.

The "framework" media opposing Al-Sudani, which was active during the past month, has clearly declined, attacking the Prime Minister against the backdrop of the alleged wiretapping case, according to the government's description, and the escape of Nour Zuhair, the main accused in what is known as the "theft of the century."

The Prime Minister's media office stated in a statement yesterday that "Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani left the capital, Baghdad, heading to New York, to participate in the meetings of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly."
The media office stated in an earlier statement, the day before yesterday, that "the Prime Minister will deliver Iraq's speech before the General Assembly, and will also deliver a speech at the Future Summit, in which many heads of state and presidents participate, and which is concerned with enhancing cooperation, confronting challenges, and affirming commitments.”

He continued, “Al-Sudani will hold a series of meetings and dialogues with a number of leaders and presidents of brotherly and friendly countries, and heads of participating delegations, in addition to a meeting with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and a number of officials of international and UN organizations and bodies."

The region has been experiencing tension for about a year due to the war in Gaza, and the expansion of mutual strikes between factions and Western interests in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

The day before yesterday, Abu Alaa al-Walaei pledged to send 100,000 fighters to the Lebanese border, coinciding with the killing of a leader in one of the Iraqi factions in Syria.

Al-Walaei, a leader in the “Framework” and the head of the “Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades” faction, said in a message published by the media, “A flood of Iraqi human beings will come, crowding the borders and trenches of Lebanon. If Hezbollah loses a thousand martyrs, we will supply it with a hundred thousand heroes.”

On Friday, leaders from Hezbollah were killed in an Israeli raid in Beirut, while before that, a series of small explosions hit the party's communications devices in Lebanon.

Yesterday, the Hezbollah Brigades announced the killing of Abu Haidar al-Khafaji “in an Israeli attack while performing his duties as a security advisor in Damascus,” according to a statement by the Brigades reported by media outlets close to the Lebanese Hezbollah.

According to some information, al-Sudani's visit to New York is expected to witness Baghdad's confirmation of its firm position on "protecting American diplomats," as the government has so far succeeded in maintaining the truth between the factions and Washington since last February.

Baghdad is preparing next year, according to Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbasi, to begin the US withdrawal from Iraq, over two years and in two phases.
In contrast, American media outlets are talking about the possibility of a “small advisory force” remaining after 2026 to assist US forces in Syria, while there is no confirmation from the Pentagon yet on the withdrawal plan. Internal
de-escalation:
Al-Sudani sent reassuring messages to his allies in the “Coordination Framework,” according to political affairs researcher Ali Al-Baydar.
On the eve of his departure to New York, Al-Sudani held meetings with Qais Khazali, Haider al-Abadi, and Hadi al-Amiri.
Over the past month, the government has faced severe Shiite criticism due to the “wiretapping” and “Nour Zuhair” crises.
Al-Baydar said in a phone call with (Al-Mada) that “the meetings in a tense climate regionally and internally are important to resolve crises.”

Speaking about the recent meetings, he added: “The prime minister did not want to leave the country while it is in crisis, or he wanted to prevent the problems from worsening before leaving for New York.”
Official statements after Al-Sudani’s three meetings with the leaders of the “Coordination Framework” confirmed the completion of the government’s programs.

Leaks had spoken of “strictness” from Nouri al-Maliki, the leader of the State of Law, due to the “wiretapping” case, regarding removing Al-Sudani from his position or holding early elections.

Regarding the timing of those meetings, Al-Baydar said: “It may be because the prime minister informed the leaders of the framework of the program for the visit to New York, or the leaders asked him for some recommendations.”
The political researcher believes that some leaders may have had “private messages or views on foreign relations that they shared with Al-Sudani.”

Al-Baydar considered that the situation inside the country is now “moving towards calm,” indicating that Al-Sudani “has the ability to transform any crisis into a rapprochement plan.”
Efforts to reduce tension within the Shiite alliance appeared clear, as the intensity of the rhetoric of some news platforms affiliated with the “framework” decreased during the last two days.
In New York,
Ghazi Faisal, a former diplomat, believes that Al-Sudani will present the fundamental positions of Iraqi foreign policy at the annual UN General Assembly meetings, especially with regard to the war that has been going on since last October.
He added in an interview with Al-Mada that "Al-Sudani will emphasize Iraq's firm position on stopping the war in Gaza, and moving to guarantee the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, to build a stable state, and to return to the 1967 borders."

"He will certainly talk about the importance of building security and peace in the Middle East and enhancing regional cooperation and economic integration, which Iraq emphasized at the Baghdad International Regional Conference 1 and 2, which formed the basis for security and political cooperation between Iraq and Its geographical neighbors, in addition to Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf, and the relationship with Turkey in the field of water, environment, desertification and the path of strategic development,” Faisal added.

Faisal, who runs the Iraqi Center for Strategic Studies, also expected that Al-Sudani would explain in the New York meetings "the nature of what the government has achieved in confronting financial corruption and organized crime and stabilizing the currency, and the government's measures to confront a wide range of internal security and political challenges.”