Iraq postpones 3rd Baghdad Conference co-sponsored by French President
The French President, Emmanuel Macron, welcomes the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France. Photo: AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraq postponed the 3rd edition of the Baghdad Conference for economic integration and regional stability, co-sponsored by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, scheduled to take place in late November in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
The conference has been postponed until further notice due to the regional events in the Middle East, adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Farhad Alaaldin, told AFP on Thursday.
Additionally, the Gulf states may boycott the third Baghdad Conference, which Macron hopes to use as his diplomatic flagship in the region, due to the Iraq-Kuwait maritime conflict over the Khor Abdullah canal, according to Intelligence Online.
Alaaldin explained that the Baghdad conference had been postponed to focus on Iraq’s efforts to reach a ceasefire, help the Palestinian people, and end the Israeli aggression against Gaza, according to the French newspaper Le Figaro.
On October 7, Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip crossed the border and launched a deadly attack against Israel, killing 1,400 people and taking more than 220 hostages.
At least 9,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 32,000 others have been wounded as a result of Israel’s subsequent bombardment of the Gaza Strip, where the population is 2.3 million, according to Gaza health officials.
Seven UN special rapporteurs—independent experts who keep an eye on human rights—released a statement in Geneva demanding a ceasefire and stating that Palestinians were in danger of genocide, Reuters said.