US President Donald Trump has announced that Tom Barrack will be the new “special presidential envoy” for Iraq and Syria.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Mr Barrack's title of “special envoy to Syria” was expiring, but that he “will continue to play a leading role for the Trump administration in both Syria and Iraq”. Mr Barrack is also the US ambassador to Turkey.
In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said Mr Barrack “has done an outstanding job” and would assist the US to “advance our strategic co-operation with the governments of Syria and Iraq”.
“Our relationship with them continues to grow,” Mr Trump said, adding that Mr Barrack would continue to serve in his ambassadorial post.
A special presidential envoy is appointed directly by the president to serve as their personal representative for a highly focused mission. Mr Barrack's term as special envoy for Syria began in May last year, but is set to expire.
Mr Barrack's entry to the roles could indicate a shift in priorities for the Trump administration in Iraq and Syria.
When Mr Barrack first took up the role of special envoy to Syria, relations between Washington and Damascus were just beginning to warm, after Syrian opposition groups, led by now-President Ahmad Al Shara, toppled the government of Bashar Al Assad. Since his investiture, the US has lifted sanctions on Syria, and American forces, stationed there to assist with the fight against ISIS, have been withdrawn.
In Iraq, Mr Barrack will take up a complicated portfolio. Washington is working to counter Iranian influence in the country, where Iran-backed militias continue to carry out attacks on US interests.
Mr Barrack's appointment as special presidential envoy for Iraq comes after former special envoy Mark Savaya left his post.
It is unclear why Mr Savaya, an Iraqi American from Michigan, left the post. Reuters, quoting sources, reported it had to do with his mishandling of certain situations, including his failure to prevent the nomination of former Iraqi leader Nouri Al Maliki to be the country's next prime minister.
Mr Savaya, however, blamed an Iran-backed disinformation campaign. The National has reached out to the White House for further comment on the decision.
