Baghdad, Dec 6 (IANS) The Iraqi presidency denies any knowledge of or approval for the designation of Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi group as terrorist groups subject to asset freezes.
In a statement issued by its media office on Friday, the Iraqi presidency clarified that it has not received such decisions, adding that only laws passed by Parliament and presidential decrees are sent to the Presidency for review, approval, and publication, Xinhua news agency reported.
It stressed that it became aware of the inclusion of Houthis and Hezbollah on the list only through social media.
The controversy stemmed from a list, released by the country’s Committee for Freezing Terrorists’ Assets in the official Gazette on November 17, that included Hezbollah and the Houthi group among entities whose funds would be frozen.
The committee said on Thursday that the listing erroneously included the two groups and would be corrected immediately.
The presidency’s statement follows a clarification issued a day earlier by the media office of the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, which stated that the country’s freezing of terrorist assets was strictly limited to entities and individuals affiliated with the Islamic State and al-Qaeda terrorist organizations.
Al-Sudani has ordered an urgent investigation to identify those responsible for the error, noting the published decision contained “language that did not reflect the factual position,” stressing that Iraq’s political and humanitarian stance toward the aggression against people in Lebanon and Palestine is principled and unwavering.
