Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi plans to visit the United States after a European tour to attend the UN General Assembly in New York, with three major issues on his agenda as political efforts seek to arrange a meeting with US President Donald Trump, an informed source told Shafaq News on Friday.

The source said a political intermediary who previously helped organize Al-Zaidi’s July official visit to Washington is working to secure the meeting with Trump, which has yet to be confirmed.

If the meeting takes place, Al-Zaidi intends to discuss the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq under the agreed timetable and prospects for the post-withdrawal period, which the source said could see investment companies enter the country to begin implementing previously agreed projects.

Talks would also cover the government’s anti-corruption campaign and its next steps, including possible measures involving prominent figures suspected of corruption and several Iraqi banks, as well as the course of Iraq’s political process.

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The 81st session of the UN General Assembly opened in New York on Sept. 8, with its high-level General Debate, which brings together heads of state and government, scheduled for Sept. 22-26 and Sept. 28.

Before traveling to New York, Al-Zaidi is scheduled to visit France and Germany in mid-September. Government spokesperson Haider Al-Aboudi said the European tour will focus on diversifying Iraq’s foreign relations and discussing several issues, including security.

The planned US trip would be Al-Zaidi’s second as prime minister. His first foreign visit after taking office included a meeting with Trump and produced 48 agreements and memoranda of understanding with US and international companies and institutions across sectors including energy, investment, infrastructure, technology and healthcare.

Al-Zaidi’s government program outlines a foreign policy based on balance and productive relations, seeking to keep Iraq out of regional and international rivalries. Since taking office, he has also visited Iran, Turkiye, and Qatar, while a planned trip to Saudi Arabia was canceled following joint Saudi-US strikes on Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) headquarters in Iraq that killed at least 20 members and wounded 32 others.

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