ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - A member of the Iraqi parliament’s foreign affairs committee on Monday told The New Region that Iraq cannot engage with the armed groups currently in charge of Syria but will work with a Damascus government that respects international norms.

“Iraq, without a doubt, cannot engage with the armed groups currently controlling Syria, as they are classified as terrorist organizations,” MP Mukhtar al-Moussawi told The New Region. “Additionally, the leader of these groups, Abu Muhammed al-Golani, has death sentences in Iraq due to his involvement in various terrorist activities.”

Golani, who now uses his real name, Ahmed al-Shar’a, is the commander-in-chief of the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a rebel group which spearheaded the anti-government forces’ lightening offensive which led to the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in under two weeks.

Shar’a joined al-Qaeda in Iraq in 2003 just weeks before the American invasion and quickly rose through the group’s ranks. He was arrested by US forces in Iraq in 2006 and imprisoned for over five years. His release in 2011 coincided with the start of the Syrian civil war, and he would go on to form Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, after reaching an agreement with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Emir of the Islamic State (ISIS).

“Iraq cannot engage with him [Shar’a] or have any communication with him in any form,” said Moussawi.

The lawmaker noted, however, that Iraq will engage with any government in Syria which respects international norms and UN principles.

“We are awaiting the formation of a new government in Syria, and Iraq will certainly have good and positive relations. Syria is a neighboring country, and Iraq has important economic and security relations. These relations will certainly not be affected by the change of governments,” Moussawi added.

The opposition's self-proclaimed Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) on Monday announced that Mohammed al-Bashir, the current Prime Minister of the SSG, will be tasked with forming a new Syrian government during the transitional period.

The Syrian rebel’s 11-day blitz has sparked concerns among the Iraqi public and authorities over the conflict’s potential repercussions on Iraq. Additional armored units were deployed to fortify Iraq’s international borders in recent days.

The SSG and Shar’a have repeatedly tried to reassure the people and government of Iraq that they do not pose a threat to Iraq or other countries in the region, adding that they are committed to strengthening "brotherly ties" with Baghdad and working toward shared interests, which they said required “continued cooperation and understanding” between the two sides.