Iraqi VP slams French leader's Hashd al-Shaabi remarks

By Haydar Hadi

BAGHDAD

Iraqi Vice President Nouri al-Maliki has slammed recent statements by French President Emmanuel Macron in which he called for the "dissolution” of Iraq’s Shia Hashd al-Shaabi fighting force.

Al-Maliki's office late Sunday issued a statement asserting: "France’s constitution calls for non-interference in other countries' internal affairs. We are baffled by the French president's calls for dissolving the Hashd al-Shaabi, which is a legal and official institution in Iraq."

It added: "We strongly reject this as interference in our domestic affairs."

"We reject the imposition of any other state’s will on the Iraqi government and people," the statement stressed.

Humam Hammudi, vice-president of the Iraqi parliament, likewise criticized Macron’s statements.

"We expect the international community, especially France, to show respect for the noble warriors [i.e., the Hashd al-Shaabi], many of whom have perished in Iraq for the sake of world peace," Hammudi said a Monday statement.

"The Daesh terrorist group would have stabbed France in the heart if it hadn't been for the Hashd al-Shaabi," he added.

On Saturday, Macron met with northern Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani.

During the meeting, Macron called for the gradual demilitarization of the region, pointing in particular to the Hashd al-Shaabi, which was formally incorporated into the Iraqi armed forces last year.

Macron later spoke to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi by phone to convey Paris' support for Iraq’'s sovereignty and security, according to a statement issued by al-Abadi's press office.

*Ali Murat Alhas contributed to this report from Ankara.