US envoy Barrack urges closer judicial ties in London talks with Zaidan

BAGHDAD — U.S. envoy Tom Barrack met a senior Iraqi delegation led by Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zaidan in London on Tuesday and called for closer cooperation between the two countries’ judiciaries as part of a wider partnership with Baghdad.

Barrack, the U.S. special presidential envoy to Iraq and Syria and ambassador to Turkey, wrote on X that the talks were an important exchange of views on the future of U.S.-Iraqi relations. He did not name the other members of the delegation. The Supreme Judicial Council, which runs Iraq’s courts, had not issued a statement on the meeting by the time of publication.

Barrack and Zaidan are both among speakers at Chatham House’s annual Iraq Initiative conference in London on Wednesday. The think tank said the conference would examine whether Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government could strengthen state institutions and advance reform as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and competition between Washington and Tehran for influence put Iraq under strain.

Barrack wrote that both countries and the region were at what he called a historic moment, one in which they could build on an established partnership. The opportunities ranged from judicial cooperation and the rule of law to energy, investment, economic development, institutional partnerships, security and regional stability, he wrote.

Strong, independent judicial institutions and deeper cooperation between the two countries’ legal systems were essential to “building confidence, advancing the rule of law, and securing a more prosperous future,” Barrack wrote.

Working together, the two countries could help unlock Iraq’s potential, strengthen ties between their peoples and build a future of shared prosperity and lasting peace, he wrote, adding that the United States looked forward to continuing the work with its Iraqi partners.

The London talks came five days after Barrack met Zaidan in Baghdad last Thursday. The council said at the time that the two had followed up on talks on strengthening judicial ties with U.S. counterpart bodies, without naming those bodies. After that meeting, Barrack wrote that strong institutions and the rule of law build confidence, which he called the foundation for investment, stability and lasting prosperity.

Barrack also met Zaidan in Baghdad on Oct. 12, when the council said they had discussed developing legal and judicial ties. On his first visit to Baghdad in the expanded envoy role in June, Barrack praised the Iraqi judiciary’s role in forming the government, according to the council.

Zaidan has headed the Supreme Judicial Council since 2017.