Iraq and Saudi Arabia press for Gaza ceasefire after talks in Baghdad

Prince Faisal bin Farhan met Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani during an unannounced visit to the Iraqi capital

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, right, receives Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Baghdad on Thursday. AFP

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Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani called for Arab and international action to halt the war in Gaza during a meeting in Baghdad on Thursday, a statement by the Iraqi government said.

The meeting between Mr Al Sudani and Prince Faisal, who arrived in Iraq on an unannounced visit, was also attended by Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.

Mr Al Sudani and Prince Faisal reviewed the “key developments in the region, the repercussions of the ongoing aggression in Gaza and the need for continued joint work and co-ordination of Arab and international efforts to stop the aggression”, said the statement.

They urged the international community to “fully play its role in preventing the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, which has been occurring for over 10 months, and to recognise their historical right to live on their own land”.

Prince Faisal's visit comes as Iran-backed Shiite militias Iraq ended a months-long truce with the US troops that was meant to give the Iraqi government time to reach an agreement with Washington on its military's withdrawal from the country.

These groups have threatened to resume attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria, as Baghdad and Washington postponed an announcement for a two-year plan to end the mission of the US-led International Coalition until further notice, threatening to further jeopardise security in the region.

Thursday's meeting also comes as regional and international efforts have so far failed to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Gaza ceasefire talks were supposed to be held in Cairo on Thursday but have been postponed until next week to allow delegates time to study latest proposals, sources told The National.

They had earlier said the talks would be conducted by mid-level officials from the three key mediators – the US, Egypt and Qatar – and their Israeli counterparts in a renewed push to get a ceasefire and a hostage deal. Hamas, they had said, was unlikely to be physically represented in the talks but its senior officials in Qatar would be participating remotely.

Saudi-Iraqi co-operation

The Iraqi government statement said Mr Al Sudani and Prince Faisal also discussed bilateral relations between their countries, including “strengthening productive partnerships and activating the Iraqi-Saudi Co-ordinating Council to achieve mutual benefits and common interests".

The kingdom severed ties with Iraq after Saddam Hussein's forces invaded Kuwait in 1990 but Riyadh and Baghdad began to repair relations in 2016. Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Iraq in 2015 while the two countries set up a co-ordination council to upgrade ties, looking into opportunities in various fields to strengthen their bonds.

They have since signed a series of agreements relating to politics, security and commerce, leading to the opening of a major border crossing.

Last year, Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF announced a new unit to invest in industries across Iraq, with capital of $3 billion and headquarters in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-Iraqi Investment Company will invest in infrastructure, mining, agriculture, property development and financial services, among other areas, acting chief executive Muteb Al Shathri said at the time.