A high-level Iraqi security delegation is holding talks in the Saudi capital Riyadh in an effort to contain tensions between the two countries following drone attacks on Saudi energy facilities that Riyadh says were launched from Iraq, and subsequent US-Saudi airstrikes on Iraqi territory.
The Iraqi delegation is headed by Lt Gen Abdul Amir al-Shammari and includes Lt Gen Falah Shaghati, assistant director of the Intelligence Agency; Hamid al-Shatri, head of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service; Lt Gen Muhannad al-Asadi, commander of Air Defence; and Lt Gen Zaid Houshi, head of the Counter-Terrorism Service.
It is the first publicly announced visit by senior Iraqi security officials to Saudi Arabia since Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi received a renewed invitation to visit Riyadh.
An earlier visit was cancelled after US-Saudi strikes on Iraq on 29 July killed 20 people at facilities belonging to the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), an umbrella organisation that includes Iran-aligned armed factions.
An Iraqi security official told The New Arab that the delegation was holding talks with Saudi officials over the drone attacks that Riyadh says originated from Iraqi territory and targeted sites and facilities inside the kingdom, as well as the fallout from the subsequent airstrikes inside Iraq, which killed and wounded PMF members.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Saudi officials had presented information and evidence they say showed that the attacks originated from Iraqi territory.
The evidence, the official added, appeared to indicate that the incidents "were not the first of their kind".
The Iraqi delegation, meanwhile, briefed Saudi officials on security and military measures taken by Baghdad to prevent further attacks from Iraqi territory and to pursue groups that might use Iraqi territory or airspace to launch attacks against neighbouring countries.
The talks will also address closer security and intelligence coordination between Baghdad and Riyadh, border controls and airspace monitoring, as well as the exchange of information on groups that possess or operate drones, the official said.
The two sides are also expected to discuss rapidly evolving regional security developments and their implications for Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the wider region.
Tensions after drone attacks and airstrikes
The delegation's visit follows an unprecedented security escalation between Baghdad and Riyadh.
The crisis began on 27 July, when the Saudi defence ministry announced that it had intercepted and destroyed several drones that it said had been launched from Iraqi territory and targeted oil facilities in the kingdom's Eastern Province and Riyadh region.
Tensions escalated further on 29 July when airstrikes targeted PMF positions inside Iraq, according to statements from Saudi and Iraqi authorities.
The Iraqi security official said the visit carried additional political significance because it could pave the way for a recalibration of security relations between Baghdad and Riyadh.
The talks will also cover preparations for Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's expected visit to Saudi Arabia, including its security and military agenda, after an earlier trip was postponed following the latest escalation.
According to the official, the Iraqi delegation will seek to establish two parallel principles during the Riyadh talks.
The first is Baghdad's commitment to preventing Iraqi territory from being used to launch attacks against Saudi Arabia or other countries in the region. The second is Iraq's rejection of military strikes on its territory.
The meetings therefore represent "a test of the two countries' ability to contain the repercussions of the escalation and move from an exchange of accusations and strikes towards a higher level of direct security and intelligence coordination", the official said.
'Iraq does not want to be an arena for conflict'
Yasser Watout, a member of the Iraqi parliament's Security and Defence Committee, told The New Arab that the delegation's visit had come at an important and sensitive moment.
"We view it positively, as it opens the door to direct security dialogue to address the repercussions of the attacks that were said to have originated from Iraqi territory, as well as the strikes that targeted sites inside Iraq," Watout said.
He stressed that Iraq was committed to maintaining balanced relations with all neighbouring countries and would not allow its territory or airspace to be used as a launching point for attacks against another state.
"At the same time, protecting Iraqi sovereignty and preventing any recurrence of attacks on Iraqi territory are fundamental responsibilities of the state," he added.
Watout said the presence of senior officials from Iraq's intelligence services, air defence and counter-terrorism forces reflected the significance of the issues being discussed in Riyadh.
Those include intelligence sharing, airspace surveillance, border security, tracing the origins of drones and preventing armed groups from exploiting Iraqi territory to conduct cross-border attacks.
"The current phase requires moving beyond exchanging messages and accusations towards practical security coordination," Watout said.
Clear mechanisms should be established to deal with intelligence concerning potential threats or launches from Iraqi territory, he added, in a way that both protects Saudi security and preserves Iraqi sovereignty.
"Iraq does not want to become an arena for conflict or a platform for attacks against countries in the region, nor does it accept its territory becoming an arena for military retaliation by any party," Watout said.
"Direct security dialogue and coordination between the relevant institutions is therefore the best way to prevent these developments from recurring."
A date for Prime Minister Zaidi's visit to Riyadh has yet to be set, Iraqi government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi said on Monday.
Zaidi had been scheduled to travel to the Saudi capital on 30 July, but the visit was postponed amid the security developments and the latest regional escalation.