US ambassador talking to Nass about the possibility of placing al-Maliki on the sanctions list
Nass – Baghdad: US Ambassador to Iraq Matthew Toler on Sunday commented on the US intention to include former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on the list of possible future sanctions, while revealing the “justifications” of including the four previous figures.
“The US administration used the powers to impose sanctions several times before using them in Iraq,” Toller told NAS during an interview with a number of journalists at the US Embassy in central Baghdad today (August 4, 2019). “The four figures that were imposed Punish them, carried out acts that weaken the role of Iraq. ”
“We do not apologize for imposing sanctions and what we have done supports Iraq’s sovereignty, as their actions have affected the stability of the country,” Toller said.
Toller declined to comment in response to a question by Nas correspondent on the information that indicated Washington’s intention to include former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on a new list of new sanctions.
A US report has talked about “suspicious relations” between Maliki and an American general about “corruption allegations”, which Maliki considered in a subsequent statement to include “Iraqi national figures on the new US sanctions list.”
“It is not possible to confirm or deny this because it is connected to the law enforcement agency,” said Toller. “Washington has no authority to carry out any activity except in coordination with the Iraqi government.”
On the other hand, the US ambassador commented on the Diwani order to organize the popular mobilization. He said that “there is a need to organize the role of popular mobilization and its relationship with the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.”
He also stressed that “the presence of armed groups are not subject to the control of the government,” adding that “the classification of the movements of Al-Nuba’a and Hezbollah on the list of terrorism was implemented after the application of the relevant principles.”