BAGHDAD: Iraq’s new prime minister is moving his offices outside Baghdad’s highly secure Green Zone, saying he wants to bring his government closer to the people.
Adel Abdul-Mahdi held his first news conference Thursday in a rehabilitated government compound opposite Baghdad’s iconic central railway station, in the city center.
The US built a wall around the Green Zone in 2003 to secure its embassy and Iraq’s government. But it has become a symbol of Iraq’s aggressive inequality and fueled the perception among Iraqis that their government is out of touch.
Abdul-Mahdi says he believes all Iraq should be a “Green Zone” and says he will prioritize providing security, water and electricity during his term.
The new Iraqi prime minister also said Thursday that Iraq will prioritize its own interests and independence when it comes to helping the United States enforce sanctions against Iran.
President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from a 2015 international nuclear accord with Tehran in May and reimpose sanctions has put Abdul-Mahdi’s incoming government in a difficult position, since Iraq’s economy is closely intertwined with neighboring Iran’s.
“We want to secure Iraq from any interference in issues, affairs of other countries, whether it’s a neighboring country or it’s any other country in the world,” Abdul-Mahdi told the news conference in Baghdad.
The United States and Iran, increasingly at odds, are Iraq’s two biggest allies, and Washington has said there will be consequences for countries that do not respect the sanctions.
Abdul-Mahdi’s statement on Thursday did not deviate much from the stance of his predecessor, Haider Al-Abadi.
In August Abadi said Iraq was against the sanctions “as a matter of principle,” but that the country would follow them.
“We consider them a strategic mistake and incorrect but we will abide by them to protect the interests of our people. We will not interact with them or support them but we will abide by them,” he said.
Abadi’s government later asked Washington for permission to ignore some sanctions on its neighbor. Abdul-Mahdi did not say on Thursday whether his government would continue to seek the exemptions.
The next wave of sanctions are due to come into effect on Nov 4.
Iraq’s new PM moving government outside Baghdad Green Zone
Iraq’s new PM moving government outside Baghdad Green Zone
- Adel Abdul-Mahdi held his first news conference Thursday in a rehabilitated government compound opposite Baghdad’s iconic central railway station, in the city center.
- Abdul-Mahdi also said that Iraq will prioritize its own interests and independence when it comes to helping the United States enforce sanctions against Iran.
Libya says identified three suspects in killing of Qaddafi’s son
- The prosecutor’s office said its investigation determined the “meeting place of the suspects, the time at which they went to the scene of the crime and committed it”
- The office added in the statement on Facebook that it had ordered their arrest
TRIPOLI: Libyan prosecutors said Thursday they had identified three suspects in last month’s killing of the son of former leader Muammar Qaddafi, without specifying their identities.
Seif Al-Islam Qaddafi, once seen by some as Libya’s heir apparent, was shot dead in his home in the northwestern city of Zintan in early February.
The prosecutor’s office said its investigation determined the “meeting place of the suspects, the time at which they went to the scene of the crime and committed it... as well as the identity of three suspects.”
The office added in the statement on Facebook that it had ordered their arrest.
While he held no official position in the North African country under his father’s rule, Seif Al-Islam had been described as Libya’s de facto prime minister, cultivating an image of moderation and reform prior to the 2011 Arab Spring revolt.
But that reputation soon collapsed when he promised “rivers of blood” in the face of the uprisings.
Following a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity, he was arrested by Libyan authorities in 2011.
A Tripoli court later sentenced him to death but he was granted amnesty.
Marcel Ceccaldi, a French lawyer who had been representing Seif Al-Islam, told AFP he was killed by a “four-man commando” who stormed his house.
