Hikma leader meets French ambassador after drone attack kills French soldier in Erbil

BAGHDAD — Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Hikma Movement, met Saturday with France’s ambassador to Iraq, Patrick Durel, to discuss bilateral relations and the regional situation amid the ongoing war involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

The meeting came two days after Officer Arnaud Freon became the first French military fatality of the conflict, killed when two drones struck a base near Makhmur late Thursday where French forces have been training Peshmerga fighters as part of the international coalition against the Islamic State. French President Emmanuel Macron called the strike “absolutely unacceptable,” saying “the war in Iran cannot justify such attacks,” and confirmed several other soldiers were wounded.

Hakim renewed calls to halt the war and warned against further escalation, cautioning against “the danger of the conflict expanding and its direct impact on regional and international peace.” He urged regional and international actors to pursue dialogue, saying it “remains the best way to resolve outstanding issues.”

He also pressed for a resolution to Iraq’s stalled government formation, saying current circumstances should serve as “a stronger motivation to quickly resolve constitutional obligations and meet the aspirations of the Iraqi people.”

The government formation has been deadlocked for more than three months since the November parliamentary elections. Under Article 72 of the constitution, parliament must elect a president within 30 days of its first session — a deadline that has long passed. The KDP and PUK have yet to agree on a presidential candidate, with the PUK backing Nizar Amedi and the KDP backing Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.

The Coordination Framework nominated former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as its candidate, but the United States publicly objected, with President Donald Trump warning Washington could “halt support for Iraq” if Maliki returned to power.