(AhlulBayt News Agency) - The Saudi Arabian ambassador to Iraq, reacting to a reported request by Baghdad that Riyadh withdraw him, told Al Arabiyah television on Sunday that the kingdom's policies on Iraq would not change, and Saudi ties with Iraqi politicians were amicable.
"Frankly I tried to fulfill my duties ... Saudi Arabia’s policies in Iraq will not change," Thamer al-Sabhan told the Saudi-owned station. "We have a very amicable relationship with Iraqi politicians that the media does not capture."
"This is not personal issue. What I said to media and to all Iraqi politicians in the past is that they are limited because they are under pressure from various sides and from other armies and political advisors."
Iraqi Shi'ite politicians have made persistent requests that Sabhan be expelled in reaction to comments he has made about Iran's involvement in Iraq and claims that Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias were exacerbating tensions with Sunnis.
Ahmed Jamal, the spokesman for Iraq’s Foreign Ministry, recently said senior Iraqi officials had urged Riyadh to adopt proper measures and find a replacement for the 49-year-old Saudi diplomat.
Jamal also dismissed as “inaccurate” allegations that fighters from Iraq's pro-government Popular Mobilization Units had devised plots to murder the Saudi envoy, saying such claims were only meant to damage relations between Baghdad and Riyadh.
Sabhan has on occasions received warnings from Iraqi officials for interference in Iraq's internal affairs.
In June, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi strongly advised the Saudi ambassador to remain committed to his diplomatic duties.
The frequent attempts by Saudi Arabian officials to sully the image of the Shia fighters have raised suspicions about collaboration between Riyadh and the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.
/129
