US Conditions on Baghdad for the Recovery of Saddam's Bail
Local Iraqi reports indicated that the administration of US President Donald Trump reversed its approval to resume the $30 billion financial guarantee, which had been suspended since the Saddam Hussein era, for the government of Ali al-Allaq. Washington conditioned the release of funds on the dismantling of Iran-aligned armed factions and the completion of the process of consolidating weapons under state control.
A well-informed source told Shafaq News that “the al-Allaq government began mobilizing efforts to recover the financial guarantee after Washington had previously promised to release it, with the expectation that this would be addressed during his visit to the White House. However, the US administration did not instruct Congress to approve the disbursement.” The source clarified that “the government’s current efforts coincide with the financial crisis engulfing Iraq, but Washington has tied the release of funds to the completion of the file on consolidating weapons under state control and the entry of US investment companies into the Iraqi market.”
Meanwhile, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani made his first-ever visit to Damascus since the fall of the Assad regime, where he met President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the People’s Palace in Damascus to enhance cooperation, particularly amid efforts to restore the Kirkuk-Baniyas oil pipeline.
Barzani, who was among the first to welcome the announcement of an agreement between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) last January, invited al-Sharaa to visit Baghdad and Erbil, and affirmed the Kurdistan Region’s readiness to develop relations with Syria.
The Syrian president expressed his pleasure at the Iraqi regional president’s visit, praising his role during the events of the recent past, and expressed hope that the visit would mark a turning point in relations between the two sides.
He added that Syria is moving toward opening a consulate in Erbil, describing it as an important file in the process of developing bilateral relations.
A Syrian diplomatic source stated that Barzani’s visit would last one day, “and would primarily focus on following up on the agreement between the state and the SDF,” adding that Barzani was likely to meet its commander, Mazloum Abdi.
