Iraq summons UK diplomat over comments painting 'bleak image' of country
Iraq has summoned the British charge d'affaires over comments the UK ambassador made on the state of security in the country, which the government said painted a "bleak image."
British Ambassador to Iraq Stephen Hitchen, while speaking to Kurdish-owned TV channel Rudaw on Thursday, warned that the government was facing immense difficulty in incorporating the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) under the control of the state.
"The challenge for the Iraqi government is how to deal with the militias...the decision to bring the militias into the government is logical, but if a PMF member receives salaries they must also accept commands," he said.
"A soldier does not have the right to say, 'I will follow this order, but not this one.' This is not natural. It is not logical."
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He also added that he had received threats himself, without elaborating on the source.
On Sunday the Iraqi government hit back at his comments, with the foreign ministry saying Hitchen had "touched on the security and political issue in a way that reflects a bleak picture of Iraq, its government, and components."
The statement accused him of "interference" in the country's affairs and said it went beyond his duties as a diplomat.
The PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi, were formed in 2014 after a call from leading Shia cleric Ali al-Sistani in response to the Islamic State group's rampage across northern Iraq.
While some of the groups falling under the PMF banner were newly formed, the most powerful were, and are, long-established armed groups backed by Iran which have been accused of human rights abuses, organised crime, sectarian violence and kidnapping.
Since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza in October, these groups have also stepped up attacks on US and British interests across Iraq, over the countries' support for the assault on the Palestinians.
In his comments on Thursday, Hitchen said that the ongoing security situation was making it difficult for British companies to operate in Iraq, saying they needed "secure environments and state of law."
"There are some companies from other countries that may flourish in chaotic environments: bribes, threats, militias. That is not our natural environment. So, if Iraq wants investment from western countries, it highly depends on protecting the investment," he explained.
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