Defense Ministry plans agreement with Britain to train Iraq’s Naval Forces

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq’s Council of Ministers has decided recently to authorize the Acting Defense Minister the authority to sign a project with Britain to train the Iraqi Naval Forces in the field of protecting the country’s regional waters and the oil export platforms, the government’s Official Spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh said on Sunday. “The decision had been taken to open the chance for training the Iraqi Naval Force by the United Kingdom’s Forces, in the field of protecting the regional (Iraqi) waters and oil export platforms, and to eanble them carry their duties in the best form, within legal frameworks that don’t allow any abuse of the sovereignty of Iraq’s Naval Forces,” Dabbagh’s statement added. The statement pointed out that “the said agreement would stay active for one year, beginning from the date of its entry into force, as the period had ended on Nov. 22, 2010, and due to necessity to continue the training of the Iraqi Naval Force, it was decided to extend the agreement for 6 more months, that began on Nov. 22, 2010, to become active till May 22, 2011. “The agreement allows the adjustment of its period, according to the constitutional measures and according to the authority, issued by the Defense Ministry; that is why a draft project for the adjustment of the agreement was issued by the Defense Ministry, that was scheduled to be presented by the former Council of Ministers, due to the Parliament’s non-holding of its session in the scheduled time,” the statement added. It said that “the issue had been presented to the Council of Ministers on Nov. 9, 2010, that issued a decisoin on the continuation of the British Military Mission in its activities, according to the agreement, pending the presentation of the issue to the Parliament, that would take the necessary decision towards the issue.” SKH (ST)/SR 444