Government spokesperson on US Embassy closure: “No one will remain in Iraq”

BAGHDAD, October 29 — Iraqi-government spokesperson, Basim Al-Awadi, said that calls to close the US Embassy are extremely dangerous and not only affect the framework agreement but “destroys Iraq.” He also said that reservations about the two-state solution under the “Normalization Criminalization Law” were behind the confusion of the Iraqi delegation regarding the voting at the United Nations General Assembly meeting.

In an interview with the pro AAH (Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq), Al-Ahad TV, Government spokesperson Basim Al-Awadi stated:

“The closure of the US embassy is an extremely dangerous proposal that doesn’t only affect the framework agreement with the USA but ‘destroys Iraq.’ The closure of the US embassy is a matter that cannot be decided with such ease, and it doesn’t just impact the framework agreement but has far-reaching consequences.

In the case of the attack on the Swedish embassy, 16 European Union ambassadors stated that they would close their embassies and leave Iraq. This was due to an incident concerning Sweden, so what can be expected if it’s the U.S. embassy? Readings and analysis suggest that ‘no one will remain in Iraq.’

The Western presence, in general, is based on the presence of the United States in Iraq. The presence of the international coalition reassures others that they are protected in Iraq. With their withdrawal, there won’t be a single Western country left in Iraq.

What happened at the United Nations General Assembly is that the parliamentary decision regarding the ‘Normalization Criminalization Law’ suspended all of Iraq’s foreign commitments since 1948 until today. Therefore, Iraq cannot agree to any phrase or resolution that includes the term ‘two-state solution.’ The delegation studied the matter from a legal perspective, and ultimately, after a very ‘precise understanding,’ it was necessary and important for Iraq to agree to the resolution. The resolution includes a ceasefire and allowing the passage of humanitarian aid. Iraq agreed with reservations on the articles that involve the two-state solution.

The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, asked the Iraqi delegation why they abstained from voting and why they had reservations about the two-state solution, which is their demand. He mentioned that ‘Hamas welcomes and supports the resolution.’ They explained to him that the ‘Normalization Criminalization Law’ compels Iraq to have reservations on the two-state solution, or else the delegation would have violated Iraqi law.

The official Iraqi stance towards the Palestinian issue remains steadfast and consistent, but the ‘Normalization Criminalization Law’ has imposed entirely new and different commitments on Iraq.

There are two countries in the world that reject the two-state solution: Iraq and Israel. Israel rejects it because it doesn’t want to grant a state to Palestine, while Iraq rejects it due to the ‘Normalization Criminalization Law.'”