President Hassan Rouhani’s decision to pay his first official visit to Iraq could indicate the resolution of key disputes between the two neighboring countries, a senior journalist and political analyst said.
In a recent article, Ali Mousavi Khalkhali, editor-in-chief of the Iranian Diplomacy website, highlighted the major bones of contention that include an old border row and said Rouhani’s trip, which will reportedly take place on March 11, could mark progress in resolving those issues.
The Algiers agreement defining the Iran-Iraq border has been a source of tension since it was signed by Iraq’s then-vice president, Saddam Hussein, and the shah of Iran in the Algerian capital in 1975.
In the 1980s, disagreements over the border resulted in the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, one of the deadliest conflicts in Middle East history. The quarrel centered on the strategic Arvandroud waterway, known as Shatt al-Arab in Iraq, which controls access to the Persian Gulf and valuable oilfields.
Baghdad has said in the past that it wants to negotiate changes, but Tehran insists that it would not renegotiate the treaty.
“The Iraqis’ refusal to completely resolve border issues and close the case is one of the most important matters that have annoyed Rouhani, and he has reportedly raised the issue during his meetings with Iraqi officials,” Khalkhali said.
Great Step
The analyst noted that the president believes the settlement of the dispute can be a “great step” toward the resolution of other bilateral issues.
Khalkhali quoted unidentified informed sources as saying, “Rouhani’s refusal so far to travel to Iraq has been meant to underline that he will not make a trip that would fail to produce any significant achievement.”
The article says prospects of a final solution look more promising than ever now that Adel Abdul Mahdi has assumed office as prime minister of Iraq.
“He personally wants to see the issue settled and has insisted on having friendly relations with Iran,” he said.
Good progress has also been made during Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi’s recent “long and challenging” talks in Iraq, Khalkhali said.
“So, it is hoped that this important case will be settled during Rouhani’s trip to Iraq.”
However, there is no ground for “excessive optimism”, he wrote.
Financial, Oil Issues
Khalkhali said other subjects of dispute, such as financial matters and bilateral oil agreements, have been discussed by Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh and Central Bank of Iran's Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati during their meetings with Iraqi authorities in recent weeks.
It is said that financial matters are almost settled, but issues related to Iraq’s refusal to fully honor bilateral oil deals and reluctance to cooperate with Iran in the oil and gas sectors due to renewed US sanctions have remained unresolved, he added.
The article also quoted Iraqi sources as saying that the Iraqi prime minister is prepared to pay off his country’s gas and electricity debts to the Islamic Republic.
“Rouhani’s official visit to Iraq could send many messages,” Khalkhali said, adding that the trip would highlight Iran’s foreign policy considerations and priorities as well.
Iran is under pressure not to lose international trade and Iraq is its second biggest trading partner. The US has given a waiver to Iraq to be able to import Iranian fossil fuels, but its non-oil imports from Iran have substantially declined.
