Iraq summons British charge d’affaires over ambassador’s remarks

BAGHDAD, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) — The Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned Sunday Britain’s charge d’affaires in Baghdad to protest its ambassador’s remarks about Iraq.
A statement issued by the ministry said that the comments of British Ambassador to Iraq, Stephen Hitchen, who is currently outside Iraq, “portrayed a bleak image of Iraq’s security and political situation, reflecting negatively on the country’s government and its diverse communities.”
The ministry considered the ambassador’s remarks as “interference in Iraq’s internal affairs and a departure from the diplomatic duties assigned to the ambassador,” the statement said.
The ministry did not provide details about which comments it was referring to, but according to local media reports, Hitchen talked on a TV program a few days ago about problems that arise from incorporating militias into the Iraqi government’s military institutions.
He also talked about the challenges faced by British nationals in Iraq, highlighting the security risks in the country, while noting that he had been subjected to threats, attributing them to certain militias that “do not like us,” according to the reports. ■