Iraq summons Lebanese ambassador

The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Lebanese Ambassador to Baghdad, Ali al-Habhab, today to express its dissatisfaction with the statements made by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun regarding the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Iraq.

The Undersecretary of the Ministry for Bilateral Relations, Ambassador Mohammed Bahr al-Ulum, emphasized that the PMF is an important part of the military security system in Iraq, a governmental and legal institution, and part of the Iraqi state system. He pointed out that the Lebanese President's link in this context was inappropriate, and that it would have been more appropriate not to involve Iraq in the internal Lebanese crisis or to use an official Iraqi institution as an example in this context.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in a press interview yesterday that Lebanon "will not replicate the experience of the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq by absorbing Hezbollah into the ranks of the army."

He also emphasized that Hezbollah will not be an independent unit within the army, adding that its members can join the army and undergo integration courses.

It is worth noting that the Popular Mobilization Forces are considered a military institution in Iraq and are part of the Iraqi armed forces.

ANHA