Iraqi MPs try to block Syria’s Al Shara from Arab Summit in Baghdad

Opposition growing to leader's visit next month over his past links to Al Qaeda in Iraq

Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara speaks at a national dialogue conference in Damascus in February. Photo: Sana

Dozens of Iraqi politicians have signed a formal request to parliament that Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara be blocked from entering the country for the Arab Summit next month in objection to his past ties to Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Their request is a rebuke to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, who revealed at the Sulaymaniyah Forum in Iraq on Wednesday that he had invited the Syrian President to attend the event in Baghdad scheduled for May 17.

“Yes, a formal invitation has been delivered to him, and he is welcome to attend and participate in the Arab Summit,” Mr Al Sudani told The National’s Editor-in-Chief Mina Al-Oraibi during a discussion at the forum.

Following the event, a picture leaked of an unannounced meeting between Mr Al Sudani and Mr Al Shara that took place in Qatar on Tuesday. It was the first encounter between the two leaders and sparked outrage in Iraq, mainly among Iran-backed Shiite political factions and armed groups.

Many take issue with the Syrian President's past links with Al Qaeda in Iraq, where he served as a senior field leader for the terrorist group fighting American and Iraqi troops after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

Iraqi Shiite legislator Yousif Al Kilaby said late on Saturday that more than 50 politicians signed the request, which asked the Speaker of Parliament to issue a block on Mr Al Shara entering the country “for the sake of the martyrs, their families, the wounded, the Iraqi people and the principles”.

The legislature has yet to announce a date for a session to discuss the request.

During the secret Qatar-brokered meeting between Mr Al Shara and Mr Al Sudani, the pair discussed “rapid developments in the region, particularly the continuing situation in Syria”, the official Iraqi News Agency said. It said Mr Al Sudani was “closely monitoring the developments in Syria” and that he called for a “comprehensive political process” in the country.

The Iraqi leader made an appeal to “protect Syria's diverse social, religious, and national fabric as well as safeguarding holy sites, houses of worship and places of prayer”, the agency said. It said he stressed the importance of Syria “taking practical and serious steps to combat the terrorist organisation ISIS”.

According to Syrian state media, the meeting addressed the issue of joint border security, with both sides “agreeing to strengthen field and intelligence co-ordination between the relevant authorities to counter shared threats”.

On the economic front, they discussed mechanisms to revitalise trade relations, ease the movement of goods and people through border crossings, encourage mutual investment, and explore new avenues for co-operation in energy, transport and infrastructure.

The fall of former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, who was a close ally of the government in Baghdad, has complicated relations between the neighbouring countries. Iraq remains scarred by decades of conflict since the US-led invasion, which was followed by a sectarian conflict, Al Qaeda insurgencies, and the rise of ISIS.

In January, Mr Al Shara was appointed interim president of Syria and pledged to form an inclusive transitional government that would repair and build up public institutions and run the country until elections, which he said could take up to five years to hold.

Syria has issued a constitutional declaration designed to serve as the foundation for the interim period led by Mr Al Shara. The declaration keeps a central role for Islamic law and guarantees women's rights and freedom of expression.

If Mr Al Shara attends the Arab Summit, it would be his first public visit to Iraq since he was jailed for years in the country on charges of joining Al Qaeda after the 2003 US-led invasion.