US threatens aid cutoff if Al-Maliki returns to power
Shafaq News- Washington
The United States warned against any return to power by former Iraqi prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki, saying his comeback would trigger a complete cutoff of US support and jeopardize Iraq’s future stability.
In an exclusive response to Shafaq News, a spokesperson for the US Department of State relayed a direct warning from President Donald Trump, recalling that Iraq “descended into poverty and total chaos” during Al-Maliki’s previous time in office and stressing that “this should not be allowed to happen again.”
The spokesperson quoted Trump as saying that Al-Maliki’s “insane policies and ideologies” would, if he returned to power, lead the United States to end all assistance to Iraq. If the United States is not there to help, Trump warned, “Iraq has ZERO chance of success, prosperity, or freedom.”
Washington said its current policy toward Iraq hinges on the formation of a government capable of working “effectively and respectfully” with the United States. “We have communicated these positions clearly to Iraqi political leadership,” the State Department spokesperson said, adding that the administration is prepared to use “the full range of tools” to enforce the president’s policy and prevent a repeat of what it views as damaging political outcomes.
Al-Maliki has emerged as the official candidate of the Shiite Coordination Framework, the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament, holding about 185 of the 329 seats, with his nomination receiving support from the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, and parts of the Sunni National Political Council. He served as Iraq’s prime minister from 2006 to 2014, during a time when the country faced significant security, political, and institutional challenges, including the emergence of the ISIS group, which captured large areas of Iraq in 2014.
Read more: Nouri Al-Maliki’s return rekindles Iraq’s divisions as Iran and the US pull apart
For Shafaq News, Mostafa Hashem, Washington D.C.
