Iraqi Presidency to summon the US ambassador in Baghdad
The Chaldean patriarch, Cardinal Louis Sako.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Presidency announced that it would summon the US ambassador in Baghdad to discuss the recent statements of the spokesperson of the US State Department, Matthew Miller, against the Iraqi government over the cancellation of a presidential decree pertaining to the head of Iraq’s Chaldean Catholic Church, according to a statement cited by the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
The Iraqi Presidency issued a statement expressing disappointment about Miller’s accusations against the Iraqi government and the presidency, stressing that the presidential decree that was cancelled contradicts the Iraqi constitution.
The spokesperson of the Iraqi Presidency announced that the Iraqi government has worked seriously with the United States since the adoption of the constitution in 2005 to build an effective legal system that guarantees the rights of all citizens.
“The role of the president in Iraq is to protect the constitution and laws, and he is not entitled to take measures that contradict the Iraqi constitution,” the Iraqi Presidency’s spokesperson stated.
The cancellation of the presidential decree pertaining to the head of the Christian Church in Iraq, Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, does not affect his position or religious status.
Judicial and constitutional authorities have confirmed since 2018 that the President of the Republic has no authority regarding the issuance of presidential decrees for any heads of religious sects, including the Christian, Yazidi, Islamic, and other sects in Iraq.
According to the Iraqi constitution, the president in Iraq may not appoint or dismiss the head of a sect chosen by his followers, and the president cannot favor any group over another.
Hundreds of Iraqis demonstrated last Friday outside the US embassy in the capital, Baghdad, demanding an end to the interference of Washington’s ambassador in the affairs of their country.