On Thursday, July 31, 2014, Ambassador Lukman Faily had interview with ALhurra Tv to discuss the relationships between Iraq and the United States and the ongoing events in Iraq.
Ambassador Faily spoke about the significance of keeping Iraq unified “We have democracy underway and the formation of Iraqi government has taken a short period of time compared to 2010 formation process, and in consistent with the timeframe stated in the Iraqi constitution,
He talked about the importance of U.S pivotal role in defeating ISIS “Although the United States is our strategic partner of choice, but the current situation has pushed Iraq to seek help from other countries, However we are asking the United States to ramp up its efforts to address the implications and threats posed by the rise of ISIS in Iraq, in accordance with the strategic framework agreement between the two countries.”
Ambassador Faily noted that Iraqis are requesting military equipment and airstrikes, not combat forces.
Ambassador Faily called on Iraq’s neighbor countries to understand Iraq’s position and not to intervene in its internal issues; moreover to be aware that tolerating terrorism in one country will not stop the cross- border flow of these transnational terrorist groups to the whole region.
To watch the entire event video, click here.
For the original August 2, 2014 piece from Alhurra referenced in this summary, click here.