Jordan’s King Abdullah II (center right) and his son Crown Prince Al Hussein (right) welcome the new Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani in the capital Amman on November 21, 2022. It was Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s first foreign trip since he took office last month.

Jordan held a Middle East summit Tuesday bringing together regional and international players hoping to help resolve regional crises, particularly in neighboring Iraq.

The "Baghdad II" meeting, which also included officials from France and the European Union, followed an August 2021 summit in Iraq's capital Baghdad organized at the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron.

The summit, held on the shores of the Dead Sea, aims to "provide support for the stability, security and prosperity of Iraq," the French presidency said in a statement, adding it hopes this will benefit "the entire region."

The meeting took place as several countries in the region are mired in unrest.

The meeting has also be attended by the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, who has been mediating talks aimed at reviving Iran's nuclear deal with world powers.

Syria continues to be a battleground for competing geopolitical interests and Lebanon remains in an economic and political quagmire.

Baghdad II saw Jordan host Iraq's new Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Iran's foreign minister and delegations from Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

"This summit has great ambitions but no one expects miracles," says Riad Kahwaji, director of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is expected to be busy on the sidelines of the conference.

France's role as a mediator is crucial, Kahwaji said, with Paris "keeping the thread of dialogue on behalf of Westerners with Iran, especially as the Vienna nuclear negotiations are currently in stalemate."

The Dubai-based analyst said it is necessary to gauge the "disposition of Tehran, which plays a central role in the crises of the region from Iraq to Syria through to Lebanon and Yemen, to compromise."

Tehran has accused Saudi Arabia, with which it has had no diplomatic relations since 2016, of fomenting unrest in Iran as protests rage on.

On Monday, Iran's Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran was "ready to return to normal relations" with Riyadh "whenever the Saudi side is ready."

The conference is also a test for Iraq's Sudani, the appointed prime minister in late October, 2022.

Considered closer to Iran than his predecessor, Mustafa al-Kadhemi, this meeting also became Sudani's first major international meeting.

During this meeting, Sudani demonstrated "he can maintain these relations and show that they do not depend on personal ties," Hadad said.

"I think this time around, both Iraqis and non-Iraqis would like to see a more serious agenda coming from this conference," he added.

This meeting addressed issues such as global warming, food security, water resources, as well as energy cooperation.

AFP