The head of the caretaker government in Iraq, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, and the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan region, Masroor Barzani, stressed yesterday the importance of distancing Iraq from external conflicts.
Abdul-Mahdi and Barzani stressed, during talks that dealt with developments in Iraq and the region and the relations between the two sides, the need for the country to have balanced relations with all.
Abdul-Mahdi said, in a meeting with Barzani held in Erbil: «There is a good basis for understanding and to solve problems between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government, and there is an opportunity to solve all problems, and that is in the interest of all Iraqis.»
For his part, Barzani stressed the need to resolve all outstanding problems between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government by implementing the agreements concluded between the two sides, saying that "the implementation of this requires a firm and serious decision and will." He pointed out that "ISIS is still a serious threat to Iraq," calling for "increased coordination between the two sides with the assistance of the international coalition."
In Baghdad, hundreds of people gathered yesterday, the bodies of two prominent journalists, who were assassinated Friday evening, by unknown gunmen who targeted their car in Basra Governorate in southern Iraq, while press freedom activists blamed the assassination of "militias."
According to the Iraqi Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, the correspondent of the Tigris News Channel in Basra, Ahmed Abdul Samad (37 years) and his photographer colleague Safaa Ghali (26 years old) were killed by "gunmen operating inside the city" which is located on the border with Iran and is controlled by armed factions loyal to Tehran .
The observatory quoted a visual journalist, who requested anonymity, as saying that the two journalists were "killed near the police headquarters in the center of Basra by the gunmen who were traveling in a four-wheel drive vehicle." The observatory noted that Abdul Samad had sent the organization a video clip documenting "threats received from militias because of his criticism of Iran in his press coverage." In Berlin, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned of the possibility of a new escalation in the conflict between the United States and Iran.
"The direct military conflict has been avoided at the present time, but the danger of a new flare-up is not over," Mas said in comments to the newspapers of the German media group "Fonke" yesterday.
Mas said that the tensions between the United States and Iran represent a threat to the region.
The German foreign minister does not rule out the outbreak of conflict between America and Iran.