Iraq summons British charge d’affaires after ambassador’s comments

BAGHDAD, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) — The Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned the British charge d’affaires in Baghdad on Sunday to complain about the comments of its ambassador to Iraq.

A statement released by the ministry said that comments by the British Ambassador to Iraq, Stephen Hitchen, who is currently outside Iraq, “painted a gloomy picture of the security and political situation in Iraq, reflecting negatively on the government of the country and its various communities.

The ministry considered the ambassador’s comments as “an interference in Iraq’s internal affairs and a violation of the diplomatic duties assigned to the ambassador,” according to the statement.

The ministry did not specify which comments they were referring to, but according to local media, Hitchen spoke on a television program a few days ago about the problems involved in integrating militias into Iraqi government military bases.

He also addressed the challenges faced by British nationals in Iraq, as well as security threats in the country, and noted that it had been a threat, sending them to special militias that “do not like us, according to reports. END