America pulls 10% of diplomats in its embassy .. And Iraqi parties: pressure on Baghdad to counter T

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[size=52]America pulls 10% of diplomats in its embassy .. And Iraqi parties: pressure on Baghdad to counter Tehran[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad / Wael Ne'ma
[size=45]The political leaks, leaks of the US intention to close its embassy in Baghdad, as part of the pressure exerted by Washington on Baghdad on the crisis with Tehran.[/size]
[size=45]So far, there have been no official statements from Washington about closing the embassy, ​​as happened last year with the US consulate in Basra, but the leaks that reached the (range) say that the embassy has evacuated 10% of diplomats in Baghdad.[/size]

[size=45]The number of diplomats at the Washington embassy in Baghdad is estimated at about 2,000 of the nearly 15,000 employees at the embassy, ​​the largest number of staff in the Middle East.[/size]
[size=45]In mid-May, the State Department directed its non-essential staff at its embassy in Baghdad and its consulate in Erbil to leave Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]In a statement posted on the embassy's website, the ministry then suspended the regular visa services at the diplomatic headquarters temporarily. It also announced a reduction in emergency services for US citizens in Iraq. Earlier, the United States issued a warning to its citizens wishing to travel to Iraq, days after a visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the country, stressing the need to ensure the safety of US diplomats and military personnel in Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]The United States at the time warned its citizens there of "rising tensions in Iraq" and demanded caution. US officials said there were Iranian plans to damage US interests in the region as US-Iranian tensions escalated. The warnings coincided with the announcement of the US-led coalition in Iraq, raising the alert to the maximum degree, following imminent threats to US forces in Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]Diplomatic reduction[/size]
[size=45]"The process of reducing Western diplomats is normal and does not mean that the United States plans to close the embassy completely," said Furat al-Tamimi, a member of the House Foreign Relations Committee. 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.[/size]
[size=45]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.[/size]

[size=45]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.[/size]
[size=45]Reputation Washington[/size]
[size=45]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, according to US sources.[/size]
[size=45]Therefore, Furat al-Tamimi says that the idea of ​​closing the embassy with all these fortifications and its installations "will affect Washington's reputation as it affects the reputation of Iraq."[/size]

[size=45]Al-Tamimi, a member of the al-Hakama movement, ruled out the news. "Perhaps these leaks are part of the escalation between Washington and Tehran and pressure the Iraqi government to adopt the positions of the United States."[/size]
[size=45]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.[/size]
[size=45]Tamimi said it was important that the Ministry of Interior tighten measures on embassies, noting that in the event of closure of the Embassy of Washington, it will affect the economy of Iraq and the level of security dealings with the countries of the world.[/size]
[size=45]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.[/size]

[size=45]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."[/size]
[size=45]Demands to close the embassy[/size]
[size=45]On the other hand, the parties close to the popular crowd, in the past two weeks, criticized the role of the US Embassy in Baghdad and its interference in the internal affairs of the country, especially in the case of Major General Mahmoud al-Falahi accused of communicating with the CIA, who leaked his call to one of the factions of the crowd.[/size]
[size=45]Some members of the al-Fath Alliance, the political umbrella of the group, have asked Baghdad to close the embassy after retreating from its previous request to withdraw US forces from the country.[/size]
[size=45]In turn, the former deputy of the Dialogue Front, Haider Mulla in contact with (range) that "there are exaggerations in the description of the concerns facing the US Embassy in Baghdad."[/size]
[size=45]"Over the past 15 years, the embassy has been attacked and has not decided to close them," Mullah said.[/size]
[size=45]"These leaks are in the interest of sabotaging Iraq's relationship with the international environment after the opening of the country in the past two years," said Mullah, a member of the reform and reconstruction alliance, which includes Shi'ite and Sunni forces.[/size]


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