Tillerson in Iraq Today

[DinarThug]

CNN. Broadcasting While T-Rex Goes Jurassic In The Middle East ! 

 

 

Tillerson to Attend First Meeting Between Saudi Arabia, Iraq

Last Updated: October 19, 2017 8:22 PM

 

 

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, Oct. 18, 2017.

STATE DEPARTMENT — 
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is heading to the Middle East on Friday, attending the first meeting between the governments of Saudi Arabia and Iraq, and exploring ways of improving relations between the two countries.
The inaugural Coordination Council meeting comes amid a warming of relations between Riyadh and Baghdad. The gathering is seen as part of U.S. efforts to reduce Iran's increasing influence in Iraq by encouraging Baghdad to align more closely with Riyadh.

"Iran is always a huge concern of ours, not just in Iraq, but throughout the region," said State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert during a briefing Thursday.

She added that the U.S. welcomes the improvement of relations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, citing an example of how the reopening of the border crossing facilitates commerce between the two nations.

The meeting will be held in the Saudi capital of Riyadh four months after the two countries signed an agreement to establish a council to improve relations between the neighboring countries in an attempt to counter Iran's broad influence in the region.

 

FILE - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson shakes hands with a participant as he attends a signing ceremony between U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Royal Court in Riyadh, May 20, 2017.

While in Riyadh, Tillerson will also "meet with various Saudi leaders to discuss the conflict in Yemen, the ongoing Gulf dispute, Iran, and a number of other important and regional and bilateral issues," according to the State Department.

Tillerson's visit to Riyadh will be one of several to countries in the Persian Gulf region and South Asia from October 20-27.

Tillerson will then meet with Qatar leaders and U.S. military officials in the capital of Doha to discuss "joint counterterrorism efforts" and "other regional and bilateral issues," before visiting India, Pakistan and Switzerland.

South Asia

After the Middle East, Tillerson heads to South Asia, which marks his first visit there as the top U.S. diplomat. Expanding cooperation on counterterrorism and strengthening economic ties are said to be high on the agenda.

He will meet Pakistani leaders in Islamabad, and senior Indian officials in New Delhi to discuss continued bilateral cooperation, strategic partnerships and regional security issues.

In Pakistan, Tillerson will discuss joint efforts to fight terrorist groups that threaten regional peace and stability and how Pakistan can support the U.S. effort to "reach a peaceful solution in Afghanistan," the State Department's Nauert said.

The U.S. said its relations with India do not come at the expense of Pakistan and vice versa. A senior official said Tillerson's trip to the region is to implement and reaffirm the administration's new "comprehensive strategy" toward South Asia.

On Wednesday, Tillerson said the U.S. would turn to "partners" in India and Pakistan to ensure greater stability in Afghanistan and throughout the region.

"We expect Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorist groups based within their own borders that threaten their own people and the broader region," said Tillerson, adding Pakistan can further stability and peace for itself and its neighbors, and improve Islamabad's international standing by doing so.

While the top U.S. diplomat was "intensely involved" in the recent release of American citizen Caitlan Coleman and her family, Tillerson's inaugural trip to Pakistan "is not the consequence of that," a senior State Department official said.

Coleman, her Canadian husband, Joshua Boyle, and their three young children were freed and returned to Canada last week, after being held for five years as captives by the Taliban-linked Haqqani network.

In Geneva, Tillerson will discuss "a number of the current global humanitarian crises," including the Rohingya crisis, when he meets with officials from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The State Department did not disclose the specific dates Tillerson will visit the countries that are included in the announcement.

LINK

Edited October 20, 2017 by DinarThug

[DinarThug]

King invites Abadi to attend Riyadh meeting

 8 hours ago

 

 Okaz/Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman made on Thursday a telephone call to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi. During the telephone conversation, the leaders reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries in various fields and ways of enhancing them through the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council.

This was the second time King Salman was making a phone call to Abadi in 72 hours. Earlier, King Salman held phone conversation with Abadi on Monday. The office of Abadi in Baghdad said that the King invited Abadi to attend the meeting of the council, which will be held in Riyadh in the coming week. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is also expected to attend the council meeting.

“King Salman greeted Abadi and the people of Iraq for the victory they have achieved against terrorism, and the King emphasized the Kingdom’s keenness to further bolster bilateral relations. In his reply, Abadi reiterated that Iraq wants to enhance ties with the Kingdom in various fields,” the office said, adding that Abadi informed King Salman that the battle against terrorism and the elimination of Daesh (so called IS) in Iraq has entered its final phase.

LINK

[four wheel drift]

Everyone in the sand box gunna play nice together? Is it the no BS leadership going on in America?

MERICA

FWD

GO RV

one day closer

[DinarThug]

The arrival of the largest Saudi trade delegation to Iraq

 

(Baghdad: Al-Furat News) Minister of Transport Kazem Al-Alami received the Royal Saudi Airlines plane carrying a large commercial delegation

 

According to a statement issued by his office, received the agency {Euphrates News} Naksa of it today, "A day after receiving a plane« Fly NAS »Saudi Arabia, the Minister of Transport Kazim Vajan al-Yamami, on Thursday, Saudi Arabian Airlines plane with a large Saudi delegation is the largest after a break 27 years between the two countries, in the presence of charge d'affaires of the Saudi Embassy in Iraq Abdul Aziz al-Shammari, Director General of the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority Hussein Mohsen and Director General of Iraqi Airways Mizan Farid. 

Al-Hamami said during his meeting with the Saudi delegation that "the features of joy and happiness were on the faces of everyone at Baghdad International Airport and embracing their brothers to be the real breakthrough between the two brotherly countries.

He added that "the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority will take on the task of coordination and communication with the Saudi side to organize schedules and timelines for regular flights between the two neighboring countries." 

Al-Shammari said that the Saudi Royal Airliner arrived at Baghdad International Airport carrying more than 200 people from various fields to participate more actively in Baghdad International Fair in its 44th session. He praised the hospitality and hospitality of the Iraqis, . 

It is worth mentioning that Al-Hamami received yesterday a plane belonging to Fly Nas company in Saudi Arabia in an incident which is good for the return of relations between the two countries in various fields

http://alforatnews.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=152402

 

[DinarThug]

http://bit.ly/2zBF3Cy

Saudi Arabia: Relations between Baghdad and Riyadh are back on track

 

20th October, 2017

Acting Ambassador of Saudi Arabia in Baghdad Abdul Aziz al-Shammari said that the relations between the Kingdom and Iraq have returned to the right path.

"The tongue is incapable of expression, the love of the Saudi people for the Iraqis and the love of the Iraqis for the Saudi people, and I lived with my brothers in Iraq around the year. They are among the best people and gentle people. They are so sensitive that the good word affects them. Saudi Today at Baghdad International Airport. "

Shammari pointed out that the relations between the two countries returned to their right path after a break of 27 years, and that the next phase will witness compensation for the previous stages for the better.

Al-Shammari explained that the Saudi-Iraqi Coordinating Council will be among its main topics the existence of a special section for the economy through marketing between Saudi businessmen and companies in coordination with the Iraqi side. He said that special meetings and tours between the Kingdom and Iraq will be held by businessmen. Will witness huge works commensurate with the Saudi-Iraqi relations.

"Saudi Arabia opened its embassy in Baghdad in 2015, and named Thamer Al-Subhan as its ambassador, for the first time after nearly a quarter of a century of closure after the invasion of Iraqi forces to Kuwait in 1990.

[gregp]

The cell phones crack me up!

 Thanks Thugs 

[DinarThug]

Saudi diplomat: The next stage will witness huge work with Iraq

Date of release: 2017/10/20 14:13 • 670 times read

 

(International: Al Furat News) revealed the Chargé d'affaires in the Saudi Embassy in Baghdad, Abdulaziz Al-Shammari, that the next phase will witness a huge work commensurate with the Saudi-Iraqi relations.

Al-Shammari said during his reception yesterday evening to the Saudi delegation participating in the Baghdad International Fair, at the residence of the delegation at the Royal Tulip Al-Rashid Hotel, that "the tongue is incapable of expressing the love of the Saudi people for the Iraqis and the love of the Iraqi people for the Saudi people. One of the best people and gentle people and they are so sensitive that the good word affects them, and the good reception of the good Saudi delegation at Baghdad International Airport. " 

Al-Shammari added that "the Iraqi government is very keen on the safety of the Saudi delegation participating in the Baghdad International Fair," noting that "the relations between the two countries returned to the right path after a break of 27 years, and that the next phase will witness compensation for the previous stages for the better" . 

"The Saudi-Iraqi Coordinating Council will be one of the main themes of the existence of a special section for the economy, through marketing between Saudi businessmen and companies in coordination with the Iraqi side," he said, adding that "special meetings and tours between the Kingdom and Iraq will be held by businessmen." 

The Saudi Royal Airplane arrived yesterday evening in Baghdad with a large Saudi delegation, the largest after a 27-year break between the two countries, to participate more actively in the Baghdad International Fair in its 44th session, which begins on Saturday

link

[SnowGlobe7]

Abadi has control of most of the oil in Iraq...of course they want to meet with him

 

follow the money

[Half Crazy Runner]

On 10/20/2017 at 6:01 AM, gregp said:

The cell phones crack me up!

 Thanks Thugs 

 

No pockets in those dishdashas 😁

[SnowGlobe7]

ewwwwwwww

[DinarThug]

Tillerson's aim to form Saudi-Iraqi axis against Iran

October 21 2017 09:04 PM

 

Tillerson's aim to form Saudi-Iraqi axis against Iran

 

As US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visits the Middle East, he'll hope to achieve something that has eluded top American diplomats for a generation: sealing a new alliance between Saudi Arabia and Iraq that would shut the doors of the Arab world to neighboring Iran, according to Fox News.

While the United States strives to heal the rift between the Gulf Arab states and Qatar, and resolve civil wars in Yemen and Syria, Tillerson is the Trump administration's point man on an even more ambitious and perhaps even less likely geopolitical gambit.

US officials see a new axis that unites Riyadh and Baghdad as central to countering Iran's growing influence from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea, particularly as the Iraqi government struggles to rebuild recently recaptured ISIS strongholds and confronts a newly assertive Kurdish independence movement.

History, religion and lots of politics stand in Tillerson's way. He arrived in Riyadh on Saturday and planned to visit Qatar on Monday.

The effort to wean Iraq from Iran and bond it to Saudi Arabia isn't new, but US officials are optimistically pointing to a surer footing they believe they've seen in recent months. They're hoping to push the improved relations into a more advanced phase Sunday when Tillerson participates in the inaugural meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee in Riyadh.

Tillerson will seek Saudi financial generosity and political support for Iraq, its embattled northern neighbor. Two US officials said Tillerson hopes the oil-rich Saudis will contribute to the massive reconstruction projects needed to restore pre-ISIS life in Iraqi cities such as Mosul and lend their backing to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. He is treading delicately among a host of powerful countries on Iraq's borders which are increasingly trying to shape the future of the ethnically and religiously divided nation.

The officials briefed reporters on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly preview Tillerson's plans.

Shiite Iraq and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, estranged for decades after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, have tried in recent years to bridge their differences.

Nevertheless, the relationship is still plagued by suspicion.

Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad in 2015 after a quarter-century, and earlier this year unblocked long-closed border crossings. But the emergence of arch-Saudi rival Iran as a power player in Iraq continues to gnaw at Riyadh and Washington.

Iran's reported intervention in Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, following last month's much criticized vote for independence in a referendum, has deepened the unease.

President Donald Trump wants to see "a stable Iraq, but a stable Iraq that is not aligned with Iran," H.R. McMaster, his national security adviser, said this past week. He suggested Saudi Arabia could play a pivotal role.

The US view is that the alternative may mean more conflict in Iraq, which endured years of insurgency after the US-led 2003 invasion and ethnic warfare when ISIS rampaged across the country in 2014.

"Iran is very good at pitting communities against each other," McMaster said Thursday at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "This is something they share with groups like ISIS, with al-Qaeda. They pit communities against each other because they use tribal and ethnic and sectarian conflicts to gain influence by portraying themselves as a patron or protector of one of the parties in the conflict and then they use that invitation to come in and to help to advance their agenda and, in Iran's case, I think is a hegemonic design."

Shortly after taking office, Tillerson identified improving Saudi-Iraqi ties as a priority in the administration's broader policy to confront and contain Iran. Officials say he has devoted himself to the effort.

link

[yota691]

 

[haymon]

On 10/20/2017 at 2:46 AM, DinarThug said:

The arrival of the largest Saudi trade delegation to Iraq

 

(Baghdad: Al-Furat News) Minister of Transport Kazem Al-Alami received the Royal Saudi Airlines plane carrying a large commercial delegation

 

According to a statement issued by his office, received the agency {Euphrates News} Naksa of it today, "A day after receiving a plane« Fly NAS »Saudi Arabia, the Minister of Transport Kazim Vajan al-Yamami, on Thursday, Saudi Arabian Airlines plane with a large Saudi delegation is the largest after a break 27 years between the two countries, in the presence of charge d'affaires of the Saudi Embassy in Iraq Abdul Aziz al-Shammari, Director General of the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority Hussein Mohsen and Director General of Iraqi Airways Mizan Farid. 

Al-Hamami said during his meeting with the Saudi delegation that "the features of joy and happiness were on the faces of everyone at Baghdad International Airport and embracing their brothers to be the real breakthrough between the two brotherly countries.

He added that "the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority will take on the task of coordination and communication with the Saudi side to organize schedules and timelines for regular flights between the two neighboring countries." 

Al-Shammari said that the Saudi Royal Airliner arrived at Baghdad International Airport carrying more than 200 people from various fields to participate more actively in Baghdad International Fair in its 44th session. He praised the hospitality and hospitality of the Iraqis, . 

It is worth mentioning that Al-Hamami received yesterday a plane belonging to Fly Nas company in Saudi Arabia in an incident which is good for the return of relations between the two countries in various fields

http://alforatnews.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=152402

 

That's alot of towels, somebody is going to take a bath.

[blueskyline]

https://www.google.com/amp/abcnews.go.com/amp/International/wireStory/us-pushes-saudi-arabia-iraq-united-front-counter-50641619........

[Butifldrm]

Tillerson: Iranian ‘militias’ must leave Iraq

By Rudaw 1 hour ago

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks during a meeting of the Saudi-Iraqi Bilateral Coordination Council with Saudi King Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Sunday. Photo: AP

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – US Secretary of State has called for Iranian “militias” to leave Iraq. 

"Certainly Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fighting against (ISIS) is coming to a close, those militias need to go home," Rex Tillerson said at a press conference in Riyadh.

"All foreign fighters need to go home."

Tillerson is in Riyadh for the inaugural Coordination Council meeting between Saudi Arabia and Iraq. 

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was also in Riyadh. He has now departed for Egypt, the second stop in a regional tour. 

Kurds have condemned Iranian involvement in recent clashes between Peshmerga and Iraqi forces in the disputed areas. 

Iran supports Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitary, a Shiite force that was officially brought under federal control last year. Iran’s Quds commander Qassem Soleimani is a military advisor to the force, an Iraqi government spokesperson confirmed. CIA Director Mike Pompeo stated that he was aware Soleimani had been seen on the ground in Kirkuk.

A senior member of Iran's Expediency Council, Ali Akbar Velayati, rejected the notion that the Islamic Republic assisted Baghdad in their takeover of Kirkuk.

"Iran has no role in the Kirkuk operation," Iran's Tasnim news reported Velayati as telling reporters after meeting with a French diplomat in Tehran last week. 

The Peshmerga have also claimed that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) took part in clashes over Pirde (Altun Kupri) on Friday. 

Angry Kurds protested in front of the Iranian consulate in Erbil on Friday, taking down the Iranian flag. 

 

http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/221020171

[Butifldrm]

#WORLD NEWS

OCTOBER 22, 2017 / 8:38 AM / UPDATED 37 MINUTES AGO

Go home, Tillerson tells Iranian-backed militias in Iraq

 

Jonathan Landay, Stephen Kalin

5 MIN READ

•  
•  

 

RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday it was time for Iranian-backed militias and their Iranian advisers who helped Iraq defeat Islamic State to “go home” after a rare joint meeting with the leaders of Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

 

 

The United States is concerned that Iran, a Shi‘ite regional rival, will take advantage of gains against IS there and in Syria to expand the influence it gained after the U.S. invasion in 2003, something Sunni Arab states like Saudi Arabia also oppose.

“Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fight against Daesh and ISIS is coming to a close, those militias need to go home. The foreign fighters in Iraq need to go home and allow the Iraqi people to regain control,” Tillerson said at a joint news conference with Saudi foreign minister Adel Jubeir.

 

Tens of thousands of Iraqis heeded a call to arms in 2014 after IS seized a third of the country’s territory, forming the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) which receive funding and training from Tehran and have been declared part of the Iraqi security apparatus.

A senior U.S. official said Tillerson had been referring to the PMF and the Quds Force, the foreign paramilitary and espionage arm of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

Iraq’s military, armed by the United States but supported by the PMF, ejected the ultra-hardline Sunni Muslim militant group from Mosul and other cities in northern Iraq this year. Several thousand U.S. troops are still in the country, mostly for training but also to carry out raids against IS.

The campaign to uproot the militants left whole cities in ruins and has hit Iraq’s economy.

A new joint body between Iraq and Saudi Arabia convened an inaugural meeting earlier on Sunday to coordinate their fight against IS and on rebuilding Iraqi territory wrested from the group.

 

Jubeir emphasized historic ties between the two neighbors, which share a border, vast oil resources and many of the same tribes.

“The natural tendency of the two counties and people is to be very close to each other as they have been for centuries. It was interrupted for a number of decades. We’re trying now to make up for lost ground,” he said.

The rare senior meeting, signaling a thaw between states that have been at loggerheads for decades, was also attended by Saudi King Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

“We have launched a program for the future of the region based on development and security rather than the differences and wars that we have suffered,” Abadi said.State media said the council had expressed satisfaction with global oil markets’ recovery orientation as a result of a deal with other countries to boost prices by limiting production.

 

WINNING THE PEACE

Tillerson said the council would contribute to reforms to build Iraq’s private sector and encourage foreign investment.

“This will be critical to winning the peace that has been earned through the hard-fought military gains,” he said.

State media said the council had expressed satisfaction with global oil markets’ recovery orientation as a result of a deal with other countries to boost prices by limiting production.

Slideshow (2 Images)

The council also agreed to reopen a Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) office in Iraq and grant Saudi agriculture company SALIC an investment license.

A second meeting will be held in Baghdad but no date was mentioned.

Tillerson and Jubeir also discussed Washington’s hawkish new policy towards Iran, including a possible withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and new sanctions on the IRGC.

“Both our countries believe those who conduct business with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, any of their entities, European companies or other companies around the world really do so at great risk,” said Tillerson.

 

Relations between Riyadh and Baghdad have been cut since the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990.

Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates, is wooing Baghdad now in an effort to halt the growing regional influence of arch-foe Iran.

Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih visited Iraq on Saturday to call for increased economic cooperation and praise existing coordination to boost crude oil prices, the first Saudi official to make a public speech in Baghdad for decades.

A commercial Saudi airplane landed in Baghdad last week for the first time in 27 years, and in August the two countries opened a border crossing for trade which had been closed just as long.

Tillerson’s six-day trip will also take him to Qatar, Pakistan, India and Switzerland.

Writing by Noah Browning; Editing by David Goodman and David Evans

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-gulf-tillerson-iraq/go-home-tillerson-tells-iranian-backed-militias-in-iraq-idUSKBN1CR0JR?il=0

[Butifldrm]

US pushes Saudi Arabia, Iraq on united front to counter Iran

• By MATTHEW LEE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
•  

DOHA, Qatar — Oct 22, 2017, 11:56 AM ET

 

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday pressed the Trump administration's case for isolating and containing Iran in the Middle East and beyond as he pushed for Saudi Arabia and Iraq to unite in common cause to counter growing Iranian assertiveness. He called for the removal of Iranian and Iranian-supported militias from Iraq and urged other countries, particularly in Europe, to halt any business they do with Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

Shortly before leaving Riyadh for Doha, Qatar, Tillerson told reporters that an independent and prosperous Iraq would be a foil to Iran's "malign behavior."

"We believe this will in some ways counter some of the unproductive influences of Iran inside of Iraq," he said at a news conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir after participating in the inaugural meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Council with Saudi King Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Tillerson. Referring to Shiite militia in Iraq that are backed by Iran he said: "Those fighters need to go home. Any foreign fighters need to go home."

Tillerson said countries outside of the region could also play a role, primarily by shunning the powerful Revolutionary Guards, which play a major role in Iran's economy and were added to a U.S. terrorism blacklist earlier this month. Companies and countries that do business with the guards "really do so at great risk," he said.

"We are hoping that European companies, countries and others around the world will join the U.S. as we put in place a sanctions structure to prohibit certain activities of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that foment instability in the region and create destruction in the region," Tillerson said.

Earlier, at the coordination council meeting, Tillerson told the Saudi king and Abadi that the event highlighted the improving ties between the longtime rivals and showed "the great potential" for further cooperation. He noted the August reopening of a major border crossing and the resumption of direct flights between Riyadh and Baghdad.

"Both represent the beginning of what we hope will be a series of even more tangible actions to improve relations and strengthen cooperation on a host of issues," he said. "Your growing relationship between the kingdom and Iraq is vital to bolstering our collective security and prosperity and we take great interest in it."

His participation in the meeting comes as U.S. officials step up encouragement of a new axis that unites Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a bulwark against Iran's growing influence from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea. Amid the push for that alliance, the Iraqi governmentis struggling to rebuild recently liberated Islamic State strongholds and confronts a newly assertive Kurdish independence movement.

History, religion and lots of politics stand in Tillerson's way, but both the Saudi king and the Iraqi prime minister appeared optimistic about the prospects.

"We are facing in our region serious challenges in the form of extremism, terrorism as well as attempts to destabilize our countries," Salman said. "These attempts require our full attention. ... We reaffirm our support for the unity and stability of our brother country of Iraq."

Abadi expressed pleasure with "the thriving relations between our two brotherly countries."

"We are open and we want to move away from the past," he said. "The region cannot tolerate any further divisions. Interference in the internal affairs of other state should stop."

Shiite-majority Iraq and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, estranged for decades after Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, have tried in recent years to bridge their differences. Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad in 2015 after a quarter century. The first visit by a Saudi foreign minister to Baghdad came in February this year, followed by the border crossing reopening in August and resumption of direct flights between the capitals suspended during the Gulf War.

Over the weekend, the Saudi oil minister, Khalid al-Falih, made a high-profile appearance at Baghdad's International Fair, and held talks with his Iraqi counterpart, Jabar al-Luabi.

Nevertheless, the relationship is plagued by suspicion. Iran's reported intervention in Iraq's semiautonomous northern Kurdish region, after last month's much criticized vote for independence in a referendum, has deepened the unease.

The Sunni-led kingdom, which had opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, has long been anxious about Iran's footprint in Shiite-majority Iraq and its network of allied militias there. Saudi Arabia has consistently described Iraq as an Arab nation, to differentiate it from Shiite but non-Arab Iran.

The kingdom is also looking to Iraq as a potential trading partner and as a major investment opportunity amid reconstruction efforts in cities such as Mosul, which were devastated by the war against the Islamic State group.

———

Associated Press writer Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

———

This story has been corrected to change Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee to Coordination Council.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/us-pushes-saudi-arabia-iraq-united-front-counter-50641619

[DinarThug]

More Trouble For Iran With Another Thump From Trump !  

 

     

 

 

http://www.alwast.net/business.....le-1750894

US Treasury Secretary to visit Middle East next week

22nd October, 2017

US Treasury Secretary Stephen Menuchin will travel to the Middle East next week to discuss Iran's counter terrorism and terrorism financing, his office announced on Friday.

"We will discuss with our partners in the Middle East the new strategy of the administration (of US President Donald) Trump to counter Iran's destabilizing influence in the region," Menuchin said in a statement.

Minochen's presence will last from October 25 to 30, during which he will visit Saudi Arabia, Israel, the UAE and Qatar. Menuchin will be accompanied by Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Intelligence Sigal Mandelker.

Trump announced on October 16 that there was "a real possibility" of canceling the nuclear deal with Iran, three days after he refused to acknowledge Tehran's compliance with its obligations.

[ChuckFinley]

Now that is what I was talking about.  

[10 YEARS LATER]

Yep ! No more appeasing, apologizing weasel shiites. The world got pretty accustomed to the USA allowing itself to be Bent Over by everyone because we were " a downright mean country " for the last 200+ years.

 

NOW, we mean business and they just can't handle the USA taking charge IN A VERY BIG WAY ! TUFF SHIITE WORLD ! 

[kjwayne]

United ,WE stand !  Go USA !

 

[DinarThug]

Rex Tillerson: Iranian militias must leave Iraq

US secretary of state Rex Tillerson was in Riyadh on Sunday [Getty]

Date of publication: 22 October, 2017

"All foreign fighters need to go home", US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in Riyadh on Sunday as he began a trip to the Middle East.

  

 

Iranian "militias" should leave Iraq, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters on Sunday in the Saudi city of Riyadh. 

"Certainly Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fighting against [IS] is coming to a close, those militias need to go home," Tillerson said at a press conference in the Saudi capital.

"All foreign fighters need to go home", he added.

The US diplomat is currently in the kingdom where he is holding talkswith top Gulf officials.

Tillerson's Gulf visit comes as part of concerted efforts to curb Shia Iran's influence in the region including boosting the clout of Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia in Iraq, where Iran backs Shia militias fighting in the north.

The first meeting of a joint Saudi-Iraqi coordination council was held on Sunday, in which the main aim was to boost cooperation after years of tension between Baghdad and Riyadh.

"We are facing in our region serious challenges in the form of extremism, terrorism as well as attempts to destabilise our countries," Saudi Arabia's King Salman said. 

Tillerson's visit also follows President Donald Trump's announcement of an aggressive strategy against Tehran and his refusal to certify the Iran nuclear.

link

[Synopsis]

Tillerson tells Iranian militias in Iraq to ‘go home’

10 / 32

The Washington Post

Carol Morello3 hrs ago

 

© Alex Brandon/AFP/Getty Images Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks during a press conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in Riyadh on Sunday.

DOHA, Qatar — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday urged Iranian-backed militias in Iraq to “go home,” and warned European companies doing business with the Revolutionary Guard in Iran that they could face “great risk” from sanctions.

 

Shiite militias mostly composed of Iraqi citizens but backed by Iran were instrumental in helping the Iraqi army drive the Islamic State from Mosul and other strongholds in Iraq. There have been reports of Iranian advisers among them. Tillerson said they have no business being on the battlefield now that the Islamic State has been routed.

“Certainly, Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fight against Daesh and ISIS is coming to a close, those militias need to go home,” Tillerson said at a news conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, using other common acronyms for the Islamic State. “Any foreign fighters in Iraq need to go home, and allow the Iraqi people to rebuild their lives with the help of their neighbors.”

 

A senior U.S. official indicated Tillerson was referring to the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces and the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“The position of the Iraqi government and the position of our government is that there should be a single Iraqi security force answerable to the Iraqi state,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity to a pool reporter in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The ideal, he added, is that the militia fighters either “go home or they integrate into the Iraqi security forces.”

Iran’s broad and growing influence in the region dominated Tillerson’s public comments Sunday, though he covered a wide range of issues in his talks with Saudi officials. He hailed the budding new relationship between Baghdad and Riyadh, saying he hopes closer ties between the two countries pave the way for a stronger Iraq that can counter Iranian influence.

“We do seek to support, as does the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a whole of Iraq, that is secure and stable and has the ability to stand on its own,” he said. “We believe this will in some ways counter some of the unproductive influences of Iran inside Iraq.”

In other remarks designed to send a message to Tehran, Tillerson also advised European businesses that they should avoid investing in businesses linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is involved in many parts of Iran’s economy.

“Those who conduct business with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, or any of their entities, European companies or other companies around the globe, really do so at great risk,” Tillerson said.

The threat of more sanctions is one of the most potent weapons for undercutting Iran and the 2015 nuclear deal. The potential for Iran to rejoin the world economy and improve its fortunes was the main reason Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program in the landmark agreement with six world powers, including the United States. But the Trump administration is taking a more aggressive stance toward a country it considers a malign actor in the region, largely because of actions not addressed in the nuclear deal.

In Riyadh, Tillerson attended the inauguration of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi called the council an “important step toward enhancing relations.”

“We are facing in our region serious challenges in the form of extremism, terrorism as well as attempts to destabilize our countries,” said Saudi King Salman. “These attempts require our full attention.”

Tillerson praised other small milestones in the improving relations, such as the recent opening of a border crossing and direct flights between Riyadh and Baghdad. He said the new council can boost cooperation in the fight against the Islamic State and help with the rebuilding of infrastructure in areas liberated from the militants.

“Your growing relationship between the Kingdom and Iraq is vital to bolstering our collective security and prosperity, and we take great interest in it, " Tillerson said before the agreement establishing the council was signed.

Tillerson also talked with Saudi officials about the ongoing war in Yemen, where Saudi-led airstrikes have killed thousands of people over the past three years. The vast majority have been civilians.

Tillerson also is trying to revive hopes of ending an economic embargo that four Arab countries have imposed on Qatar since June. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt contend Qatar finances terrorism, interferes in their domestic affairs and is too friendly with Iran. Doha denies the allegations and has accused Saudi Arabia of violating Qatari sovereignty and attempting to engineer a change of power.

Tillerson came to the region in June in an unsuccessful attempt to end the diplomatic row, which the United States believes could imperil the fight against the Islamic State. Qatar is home to the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, with 11,000 troops stationed there.

Last month, after publicly showing sympathy for Saudi Arabia’s stance, President Trump offered to mediate the dispute, predicting “you'd have a deal worked out very quickly.” But with the prolonged squabble at a stalemate, Tillerson has chided the Saudi-led bloc of countries, saying they are unwilling to sit down and negotiate as Qatar has offered to do. Tillerson has expressed pessimism that a breakthrough could be imminent.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/tillerson-tells-iranian-militias-in-iraq-to-‘go-home’/ar-AAtREdQ?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout

[SnowGlobe7]

Go Rex!!!!

[DinarThug]

SECURITY # | 22 OCTOBER, 2017
Iraq And Saudi Arabia Vow To Cooperate In Fighting The Islamic State

Jonathan Landay RIYADH ( Reuters- Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abbadi on Sunday attended the first meeting of a new joint council between Saudi Arabia and Iraq to coordinate the fight against the Islamic state organization and the reconstruction of Iraqi areas taken over from the militant organization.

The rare meeting between the two leaders highlights the improved relations between the two countries after a decades-long dispute. The meeting of the Saudi-Iraqi coordination council in Riyadh on Sunday was attended by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who praised the agreement between the close allies of the United States. "The Joint Coordinating Council will not only cooperate more closely in fighting a preacher, but it will also help support the reconstruction of facilities and infrastructure in the liberated areas," Tillerson told reporters. "The council will also contribute to reforms that will lead to the growth and diversification of the private sector in Iraq. Such reforms will encourage the necessary foreign investment to rebuild Iraq.

Iraqi forces, most of which are armed from the United States, have been driven by Islamist fighters from Mosul and other cities in northern Iraq this year, but the fighting has completely destroyed neighborhoods and damaged Iraq's economy. That Iran, Iraq's strong ally, benefit from gains against the Islamic state in Iraq and neighboring Syria to expand its influence, which is opposed by the Gulf Arab states Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Faleh visited Iraq on Saturday to promote economic cooperation between the two countries Ni-based coordination to support crude oil prices was the first Saudi official speech in Baghdad for decades. Along with Saudi Arabia include Tillerson also tour Qatar, Pakistan, India and Switzerland. Preparation Yasmin Hussein Arab Bulletin

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