Sources in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, said yesterday that the next stage will witness the transfer of peace negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi militia from the Sultanate of Oman to Iraq.

The Iraqi newspaper "Baghdad Al-Youm" indicated that the appointment of a UN envoy of Gulf Arab nationality in Iraq carries great implications regarding the Houthi-Saudi negotiations.

In this context, a member of the Iraqi National Charter bloc, Abdul Qadir Al-Nayel, said in a statement to the Iraqi newspaper yesterday that the appointment of a new UN envoy to Iraq, from the Sultanate of Oman, to represent the international organization at this sensitive time has great implications and is intertwined with all the thorny issues in the region. At the forefront of which is the file of peace negotiations between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

He added: “The step to appoint a UN envoy to Iraq, from Oman, comes to represent the United Nations in this sensitive circumstance to be the next mediator between the Houthi militia in Yemen, the Lebanese Hezbollah and the PMF factions in Iraq, in addition to Iran,” he said.

He continued: “The Sultanate of Oman represents the real back ground for negotiations between the West and Iran, and Britain enjoys wide influence there, and all meetings with Tehran were resolved through Oman hosting negotiating delegations on its soil.”

Al-Nayel stated that “the step to appoint a new UN envoy to Iraq from Amman, to represent the United Nations in this sensitive circumstance, comes so that Muscat can play the next mediation role with the Houthi militia, Hezbollah, the armed Iraqi factions, and also Iran, which pushed for a reformist Republican president, announced from the moment.” The first is that Iran does not want to possess a nuclear weapon, and that it welcomes negotiations with America and Europe, which is a proactive Iranian step after the victory of the British Labor Party and before Trump’s arrival to the White House.”

The member of the National Charter indicated that “the mission of the new Omani envoy to Iraq will be to push the negotiation mechanisms with Iran and its arms, and he will be a conveyor of messages between the West and Iran, taking Iraqi territory as a headquarters and function for that. The PMF factions, the government of Muhammad Shia al-Sudani, the coordination framework, and Iran will seek to facilitate the mission.” I sent him largely because they urgently need to improve the atmosphere and contain Iran’s isolation.”

On Monday, the United Nations announced the appointment of Mohammed Al-Hassan as the new Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), succeeding Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.

The international organization said, in a statement, that “The Secretary-General of the United Nations announced the appointment of Mohammed Al-Hassan from the Sultanate of Oman as his new special representative in Iraq and head of the UNAMI mission, succeeding Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, from the Netherlands.”

The Iraqi government earlier called on the United Nations to end the work of its political mission (UNAMI), which it has been performing in the country for more than 20 years, by the end of 2025, and the Security Council voted in support of Baghdad’s request.