Iraq’s government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said that the proposal to close the US Embassy in Iraq is a decision that could “destroy Iraq”. In an interview with al-Ahed channel, which is affiliated with Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Awadi said that Iraq has international obligations, and any decision that targets the diplomatic missions would affect Iraq’s foreign ties.
He said an earlier government decision to close the Swedish Embassy in Iraq in the wake of the burning of the Quran in Sweden has caused international concern.
Such a proposal would not only affect the framework agreement (signed between Washington and Baghdad) but would also lead to the destruction of Iraq, he added.
Al-Awadi delivering his statements to al-Ahed channel reveals that Qais al-Khazali-led Asaib Ahl al-Haq disagrees with demands to close the US Embassy in Iraq, according to observers.
Issuing this government statement through this channel indicates that it intersects with the Head of the Sadrist movement Moqtada al-Sadr and other armed Shiite factions that have launched attacks on American interests and bases in Iraq and Syria during the past two weeks in response to Washington’s support to Israel.
Al-Sadr called on the Iraqi government and lawmakers on Friday to close the US embassy in Baghdad in response to Washington’s unfettered support for Israel.
Some observers believe that al-Sadr meant to embarrass his rivals from the Coordination Framework and the Islamic Resistance groups who control the government and to disclose their claims of being against the American presence in Iraq.
Most of the observers in Baghdad speak about divisions among the Shiite factions and about their stance from targeting the American interests in Iraq. Pragmatic forces, including Asaib Ahl al-Haq, in the Coordination Framework prefer calm and avoiding Iraq’s involvement in a new war.
Source: Asharq Al-Aswat
