Parliamentary warning of significant financial and security losses to Iraq in the event of the closure of the Washington embassy in Baghdad

07.16.2019 15:14

Parliamentary

Baghdad today - follow-up

On Wednesday, July 16, 2019, Furat al-Tamimi, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee of the House of Representatives, revealed two reasons for the reduction in the number of employees at the US Embassy in Baghdad, while the closure will affect the economy of Iraq and the level of securitydealings with the countries of the world.

"The process of reducing Western diplomats is normal and does not mean that the United States plans to close the embassy completely," al-Tamimi said in a press statement.

"The idea of ​​closing the US embassy in Baghdad, with all these fortifications and installations will affect the reputation of Washington, such as its impact on the reputation of Iraq."

Al-Tamimi, a member of the al-Hakamah movement, ruled out the news. He added: "Perhaps these leaks within the escalation between Washington and Tehran and pressure the Iraqi government to adopt the positions of the United States."

Following the targeting of the US Embassy and then the storming of the protesters of the Bahrain Embassy in Baghdad, the government began to fortify the sites of diplomatic missions.

"It is important that the Interior Ministry tighten measures on embassies," al-Tamimi said. "If the embassy of Washington is closed, it will affect the economy of Iraq and the level of security dealings with the countries of the world."

In June, the US oil company ExxonMobil withdrew some of its employees from Iraq and leaked information about its intention to repeat the evacuation after a Katyusha rocket landed near its Basra office.

The US company has entered into a new deal to develop southern Iraq with a project costing more than $ 50 billion, but Western officials have said recently that the deal may not be completed due to "security concerns."

Two days ago, State Department sources said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was trying to make the withdrawal from his country's embassy in Baghdad always.

The sources pointed out that the US plan includes reducing the embassy to a small number of staff to take on the important tasks, such as confronting Iran on the diplomatic front.

A spokesman for the State Department recently said that the description of the withdrawal was "inaccurate" and said "no decision has been made on permanent staffing levels but a review of staff is under way." Last month, a Katyusha rocket landed near the embassy building, which opened in 2009 at an estimated cost of $ 700 million inside the Green Zone, central Baghdad.

The embassy has an area of ​​80 football stadiums and is larger than the Vatican. It has 21 buildings, a cinema, shops, restaurants, a school, a fire station, water and power plants, telecommunications and water treatment plants. It is 10 times larger than any US embassy in the world.

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