Iraq and Libya to revive joint committee after 25 years

BAGHDAD — Iraq and Libya are preparing to convene their joint committee for the first time since 2001, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said after meeting Libya’s acting foreign minister in Baghdad.

Hussein and Taher al-Baour discussed cooperation in oil, security and property disputes, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said. Hussein welcomed steps by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s government on Iraqi-owned properties in Tripoli and said Iraq had completed procedures on two properties belonging to the Libyan embassy in Baghdad. He reaffirmed support for Libya’s unity and sovereignty, rejected foreign interference and backed a Libyan-led political solution.

The two also discussed coordination within OPEC+ on oil market stability. Both countries were founding members of OPEC, established in Baghdad in 1960 with Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Hussein called for closer information-sharing between the two countries’ security and intelligence agencies.

On Iraqis in Libya, Baour said he had raised their status with Dbeibah and secured his agreement to work toward regularising it. Iraq’s embassy said last week it had located 36 Iraqi migrants who entered the country illegally and was arranging their voluntary return, having previously repatriated 352.

Baour briefed Hussein on Libya’s political situation since the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The two discussed regional developments including the conflict between the United States and Iran, and held a joint news conference at the Foreign Ministry.