In an interview with FRANCE 24 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Iraq's Foreign inister Fuad Hussein said he was hoping to host a meeting in Baghdad between the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia. Hussein said that after five meetings between intelligence officials of the two rival powers in recent months, it was time to upgrade and have the two top diplomats meet in person. He added that while there were still disagreements on a number of issues, his discussions with both sides had left him encouraged that a breakthrough was possible.
The foreign minister went on to say that he didn't share the pessimism of Western officials about the possibility of reviving the Iran nuclear deal. He indicated that Iraq was involved in bringing Tehran and the West closer together, adding that failure to reach a fresh deal would increase tension in the region, including in his country.
The top Iraqi diplomat regretted Turkey’s continued military strikes inside Iraq, noting that Ankara has failed to acknowledge and apologise for a bombing that killed nine civilians back in July.
Finally, he said that while the IS group as a "caliphate" had been militarily defeated, the terrorist organisation and its ideology was still present. He warned that the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria, which holds thousands of IS group family members, had become an "ideological training camp".
