“There is hope to recover bodies of 2 assassinated Algerian Diplomats”, Iraqi official

A senior Iraqi Foreign Ministry Official Doctor Abdelkarim Hachem Mostafa gave an exclusive interview to “Echorouk Al Yaoumi” during a visit to the Qatari capital Doha in which he said that in-depth investigations were still underway to shed all the light on the assassination in Bagdad of Algerian Diplomats Belaroussi and Belkadi.

• – You know, Iraq has been beset for several years now by the heinous scourge of terrorist violence like some other countries in the world mowing down many innocent lives. The Iraqi authorities are doing their utmost to carry through the ongoing investigations and to bring the criminals before justice.
•  – I am confident the bodies will be repatriated to Algeria once the security inquiries are wrapped up.
• – Your colleague has to assume his responsibilities as he committed an act contrary to the law by throwing his shoes at a foreign head of state. He is now in an Iraqi jail and enjoys all his rights as an Iraqi detainee. He has 2 lawyers, an Iraqi and a Swiss to ensure his defense. He is expected to stand trial in Baghdad on January 31st 2009 in all fairness and transparency before an Iraqi court.
• – A lot has been said about this affair over the past few days even a request to asylum by Ziadi in Switzerland but all things considered, this case rests now,  with the Iraqi justice which acts independently from the executive and legislative bodies.
• – I can assure you that Mountadhar’s rights are fully preserved in this Iraqi jail and he is regularly visited, without any major hitch, by his lawyer and his family members.
• – There is no doubt that he is taken in charge in terms of medical care similarly to all the other Iraqi inmates without any exclusion or bias as it is the usual practice in all Iraqi prisons.
• – I should point out that the security pact was signed between the US and Iraqi governments and was also endorsed by the Iraqi parliament. The forthcoming referendum slated for late June has no direct link with the security pact. It mainly deals with the election of local authority assemblies.
•  – This will be a good thing which will be greatly hailed by the Iraqis but such a troop withdrawal could be possible once the security situation is fully normalized and in close concertation between the US and Iraqi military.
• – This is a matter for the US and Iraqi military chiefs to decide after a thorough perusal of the unfolding security situation in Iraq.