| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Iraq | |
| #Iraq wants US to set up mechanism for withdrawal of troops, US sez no | |
| 2020-01-11 | |
[PUBLISH.TWITTER] Ask nicely. No nicely, no bye-bye.
Washington rejects Baghdad’s request to plan US troop withdrawal [Rudaw] The US State Department released a statement on Friday bluntly refusing requests from the Iraqi Parliament and Prime Minister to withdraw troops from the country. State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus stated that delegations from Washington to Baghdad would not discuss troop withdrawal with Iraqi officials. “At this time, any delegation sent to Iraq would be dedicated to discussing how to best recommit to our strategic partnership—not to discuss troop withdrawal, but our right, appropriate force posture in the Middle East,” stated Ortagus. She added that a NATO delegation has visited the US to discuss “increasing NATO’s role in Iraq, in line with the President’s desire for burden sharing in all of our collective defense efforts.” US President Trump stated in a press conference on Wednesday that NATO needed to become more involved in the Middle East. He also spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the phone on Wednesday, who “agreed that NATO could contribute more to regional stability and the fight against international terrorism.” | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 June 17, 2019: Iraq's electoral commission postpones local elections. Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission announced on Monday that provincial elections will be held across the country on April 20, 2020. It was the second delay over the last two years. Truly, the Government of Iraq now operates without a government and any "mechanism" is moot. |
| Posted by: b 2020-01-11 09:18 |