Talabani visits U.S. Ambassador

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani’s visit to the U.S. Ambassador James Jeffrey at his office in the American Embassy of Baghdad provoked mixed reactions among Iraqi politicians on Saturday. Some counted the visit as being the first of its kind outside of the political norms between the two countries, as it would normally only occur in exceptional cases, while others saw it as violating the norms of diplomacy, or considered it to clearly demonstrate Talabani’s humility. According to the statement released by the Iraqi presidency, Talabani visited the U.S. Ambassador to discuss the situation in Iraq in light of the current developments in the region. The statement added that in spite of violating prevailing diplomatic norms in relations between the states, the visit demonstrated Talabani’s humility in dealing with others, stating: “This visit is not strange for Talabani, as he is often visiting dignitaries and state officials in the country. Their official capacity is lower than the President of the Republic’s repeated visits to the various political parties and blocs.” The MP for the coalition of state law, Abdul Salam Maliki, criticised Talabani’s visit to the Ambassador at his residence, describing that it was the first time in history that this had happened, and that it was outside of the norms of diplomacy. He added: “Presidents do not visit ambassadors of countries except in cases of asylum, or if there is a military coup in these countries. Therefore, Talabani’s visit is the subject of criticism, and does not benefit his stature.” Maliki has called for Talabani to confirm whether it was a personal or official visit, stressing that Talabani is the president of Iraq and it is not his place to visit an ambassador regardless of the status of that ambassador’s country in the world. A member of the House of Representatives, Lateef Mustafa, also stated that Talabani’s visit to the U.S. Ambassador in his headquarters “shows that the Americans are effectively running the country.” Mustafa said in a press statement to a local news agency that: “Talabani’s visit indicates that the talk about the sovereignty of Iraq is theoretical and is not based on any real facts.” He also pointed out that “many officials in the state make this kind of visit to the U.S. ambassador, not only Talabani, and this indicates that the political decision making power is still in the hands of the Americans.” Mustafa stressed: “Talabani’s visit does not fit into the norms of diplomatic relations between the nations, which respects the parity of official meetings.”