Barbara Leaf, the US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, expressed the “urgency” of resolving the political impasse in Iraq and the importance of unity among Kurdish parties in meetings with local political leaders, the State Department said on Wednesday.
Ms Leaf is in Iraq this week on the tailend of a regional trip that has also included Tunisia, Israel, the West Bank and Jordan.
Vedant Patel, the State Department's deputy spokesman, confirmed to reporters that Ms Leaf had reiterated US President Joe Biden's calls for a peaceful resolution to disputes between Iraq and the Kurdish region, and added that energy issues between Baghdad and Erbil were also discussed.
Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government have been engaged in escalating disputes over natural resources, made worse by violent political infighting in Baghdad.
A months-long political stalemate in Iraq culminated last month with influential Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr withdrawing members of his party from parliament. A group of his followers then stormed and occupied Baghdad's Green Zone, engaging in deadly clashes with security forces and rival militia groups after Mr Al Sadr announced his resignation from politics.
The ensuing violence killed at least 30 people.
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Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi has threatened to resign if the political stand-off in the country is not resolved. Photo: Iraqi Prime Minister's Media Office -
An aerial view of Yafa Street in Baghdad after Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr called on his supporters to withdraw from the Iraqi capital's heavily fortified Green Zone. AP -
Plumes of smoke rise after small fires were lit near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Parliament in Baghdad. AP -
Mr Al Sadr's followers heed his call to withdraw from the Green Zone after violent clashes in Baghdad. Reuters -
A supporter of Mr Al Sadr helps to dismantle the encampment in Baghdad's high-security Green Zone. AFP -
Supporters of Mr Al Sadr pack up belongings as they prepare to leave the Green Zone. AP -
A supporter of Mr Al Sadr rolls up a mattress as their encampment in the Green Zone is dismantled. AFP -
Municipality workers clean up while Iraqi army soldiers guard the entrance to the Green Zone. AFP -
Mr Al Sadr addresses a news conference in Najaf, Iraq. Reuters -
Iraqi Shiite gunmen clash with government forces in the Green Zone of central Baghdad. EPA -
Smoke rises from a building in Baghdad. EPA -
Armed members of Saraya Al Salam, the military wing affiliated with Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr. AFP -
An armed member of Saraya Al Salam. AFP -
A member of Saraya Al Salam takes aim. AFP -
Armed members of the Peace Brigades militia in Baghdad's Green Zone. AFP -
They are affiliated with Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr. AFP -
Peace Brigades members clash with security forces in the Iraqi capital. AFP -
The office of rival Shiite party the Badr Organisation, which was burnt by Sadrists. Reuters -
Iraqi security armoured vehicles during clashes with the Peace Brigades in the Green Zone. AFP -
Peace Brigades members carry weapons in the fortified zone. AFP -
Smoke over Baghdad during an army-imposed curfew, a day after 23 Al Sadr supporters were shot dead. AFP -
A Peace Brigades member leads a mass funeral in Najaf for Al Sadr supporters killed in the clashes in Baghdad's Green Zone. AFP -
Tears during the mass funeral. AFP -
Mourners pray in front of the coffins of Al Sadr supporters. Reuters -
A coffin is carried at the funeral. AFP -
The ceremony took place at a cemetery in Najaf, central Iraq. AFP
“We encourage the parties to determine a way forward that supports existing and future investment that advances the interest of the Iraqi people, including those in the Kurdistan region as well,” Mr Patel said.
“This includes working to advance the US Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement to support areas in which we can collaborate together, including energy, education and infrastructure.”
Mr Patel denied that the administration had raised Iraqi-Kurdish energy disputes in response to recent congressional calls for enhanced engagement on the matter.
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Barbara Leaf, who previously served as US ambassador to the UAE, expresses her condolences to President Sheikh Mohamed after the death of Sheikh Khalifa. Photo: MOPA -
Ms Leaf with then-vice president Joe Biden on a 2016 tour of Masdar City with Dr Sultan Al Jaber, now Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology. Photo: Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
Ms Leaf previously served as the US ambassador to the UAE. Photo: Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
Ms Leaf with Mr Biden at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Photo: Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
Ms Leaf visits Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in March 2016 alongside Mr Biden. Photo: Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
Ms Leaf meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on June 11, 2022. Reuters -
Ms Leaf currently serves as the US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs. Antonie Robertson / The National -
She was the US ambassador to the UAE from 2014 to 2018. Reem Mohammed / The National -
Ms Leaf visits the kitchen at Ray's Grill, Abu Dhabi. Photo: US Embassy -
Ms Leaf at the 2017 Najah Education Fair at Adnec in Abu Dhabi. Pawan Singh / The National -
Ms Leaf attends the USA Healthcare Symposium and Showcase in October 2017 at the Mohammed bin Rashid Academic Medical Centre in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Ms Leaf welcomes John Kerry, the US secretary of state at the time, to Abu Dhabi during her time as ambassador to the UAE. AP -
Ms Leaf was confirmed as the head the US State Department’s Middle East bureau earlier this year. Vidhyaa Chandramohan / The National
Congressional Republicans wrote to Mr Biden is recent weeks, saying that the energy disputes endanger Washington's mission of “supporting a stable, sovereign and democratic Iraq free from malign foreign influence”.
Meanwhile, the State Department re-emphasised that Washington supports Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi's calls for peace, but views the unrest as Baghdad's responsibility.
“We don't view this as a US issue,” Mr Patel told reporters.
“It's an Iraqi issue and our posture has continued to be calling for calm and calling for peace amid some of the demonstrations and ultimately what we want to see is a strong, united, resilient and sovereign Iraqi state.”
