Iraq 0
2 December 2019

A senior U.S. diplomat indicated that “we want the Iraqis to get a government that is responsive to their legitimate demands – reform, anti-corruption. This is a process that should be handled by the Iraqis and managed by the Iraqis. We don’t have parameters for timing. We want to see an end to the violence”. He went on to maintain that “we have been a reliable partner to Iraq. I expect that we will continue to be a reliable partner, helping to build their capacity to defend themselves and to exert their sovereignty and to help defeat ISIS and… prevent a resurgence of ISIS in Iraqi territory.  So, I would expect that we will continue to have that kind of relationship with the Iraqi government and also have economic investments in the country, et cetera, going forward”. Asked about attacks by Iraqi demonstrators on Iran’s Najaf consulate, the senior diplomat remarked that “generally speaking – and specifically speaking – the U.S. believes that – the inviolability of the diplomatic facilities”.

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