Despite US opposition to his candidacy for head of the Iraqi government, US Special Envoy Tom Barrack met with former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in the capital Baghdad today (Friday).
Sources said the US Embassy in Baghdad conducted a security drill simulating an emergency evacuation operation. They said these actions are consistent with the escalation witnessed in the region, given discussions between Washington and Tehran.
Officials said that in the past 24 hours, a large number of American nationals left Iraqi territory via Baghdad International Airport and on commercial airlines.
Judge Faik Zaidan, Chairman of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, discussed with Mr. Barak the role of the judiciary in the next steps to fulfill the remaining constitutional rights. Officials said Zidane and Barak discussed the issue of electing Iraq’s president and forming the next government.
The sources said Zidane assured Barak that Iraq’s judiciary had repeatedly stressed the need to respect the constitutional period.
Al-Maliki announced that he would not withdraw his candidacy for prime minister, but Washington rejected this. “I have no intention of retreating because I respect the country I belong to, its sovereignty and its will. No one has the right to say, ‘Don’t choose so-and-so, choose so-and-so,'” he said in an interview with Agence France-Presse on Monday.
He noted that the Coordination Framework, which makes up the largest bloc in parliament, had “agreed on this nomination”. Therefore, out of respect for the site, I will not retract, and as I have said many times before, I will not retract until the end. ”
Mr. al-Maliki emphasized that the United States will continue to impose restrictions on the introduction of weapons into the country, which the United States has also called for. He acknowledged the existence of U.S. pressure, saying, “Recently, we have received several messages outlining demands regarding the country.”
He thought that Washington would not bring anything new because what Washington demanded would embody his demands. “We want to confine weapons to states and centralize military power,” he said.
Iraqi officials have previously acknowledged that the issue of government formation is an internal sovereignty issue, despite President Trump’s threat to cut off US aid to Baghdad.
