Algeria threatens to expel Iraqi ambassador

Algeria threatened to prevent the Iraqi ambassador, Mr. Adi Mousa Abdelhadi, from continuing his duties, if he continued to mislead the public opinion with “false and baseless”information and statements about the file of Algerian detainees in Iraqi prisons on charges of terrorism.

Official sources from the Foreign Ministry did not rule out Algeria’s decision to resort to ” dispense with the services of the Iraqi ambassador, in the context of escalating the procedures against him, after being summoned officially and received by the Foreign Ministry,on Thursday, to be asked about the execution of the Algerian Abdellah Ahmad Balhadi, and strongly protest the implementation of this provision, and the refusal of the Iraqi authorities to cooperate with the Algerian prisoners in Iraq.

Last Thursday last the Iraqi Ambassador, Adi Mousa Abdelhadi was received at the Foreign Ministry, as confirmed by the spokesman, Ammar Blaney, at the presence of the General Manager of the Protocol and the Director of protecting Algerian citizens abroad, in order to request explanations concerning the decision to execute an Algerian detainee with an ugly manner, and the nature of the court that ordered the implementation of this decision, whether it is civilian or military.

In this regard, the official spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ammar Blaney told Echorouk, that Algeria informed the Iraqi ambassador about its firm protested over the refusal of Iraqi authorities to cooperate, but the ambassador showed the “duty of the reservation,” in many times, denying the existence of any agreement between Algeria and Iraq on the exchange of prisoners, which could allow the recovery of any Algerian detainees in Iraqi prisons, adding that the recent statements by Abdelhadi were provocative and false.

“Algeria is seeking several months ago, to settle the file, but the Iraqi authorities are wasting too much time to respond until today, since last May, and to give the necessary permits that were requested by the Embassy of Algeria in Baghdad, despite the repeated requests and notices to Iraq’s ambassador to Algeria, under the right of prisoners to visitation in accordance with Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on consular Relations.

Earlier, the Iraqi government refused to allow the delegation of Algeria to enter Iraq, to visit the Algerian prisoners, and see the conditions of their detention, and the nature of the charges against them, and then to form the committee of lawyers to defend them and deport them to Algeria.

Blaney asserted that the Iraqi side did not elaborate in the number of Algerian detainees in Iraqi detentions, so the figures remained conflicting and inconsistent, to coincide with the procrastination also in determining the names and identities of the detainees accurately.