Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – US Envoy Tom Barrack met with Iraq’s top judicial leadership in Baghdad on Monday, as Washington and Baghdad strive to rebuild their bilateral relationship in the face of regional tensions and a shifting security situation.
Barrack met with Judge Faiq Zaidan, President of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, to explore ways to strengthen bilateral legal and judicial collaboration.
The meeting comes at a difficult time for the region, after fatal assaults on Riyadh’s international airport over the weekend, which Saudi officials blamed on Yemen’s Houthi movement.
In a statement issued after the negotiations, Barrack praised his meeting with Zaidan as positive and emphasized the necessity of an independent judiciary for Iraq’s future.
“A strong, independent judiciary is the bedrock of sovereignty, the rule of law, and the stability that lets Iraq turn its potential into prosperity,” Barrack wrote, thanking Zaidan for his partnership.
Barrack also met with Steve Fagin, the United States’ chargé d’affaires in Baghdad, and praised his diplomatic skills while emphasizing Washington’s aspirations to broaden its relationship with Iraq beyond security cooperation.
He regarded the present time as a watershed point in bilateral ties, stating that the United States was moving toward a more comprehensive relationship based on economic cooperation and common interests.
The Baghdad talks follow Barrack’s weekend conversations with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Turkey, during which the two sides discussed bilateral ties and regional events.
The diplomatic contacts follow the completion of the US-led coalition’s military mission in Iraq, signaling a move toward a bilateral partnership based on political, economic, and security cooperation.
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