Iraqi Parliament Votes to 'Retaliate' Against U.S. Over Trump's Travel Ban
Taking a more diplomatic approach, Foreign Ministry asks United States to reconsider the measure.
The Iraqi parliament voted on Monday to ask the government to "retaliate" against U.S. President Donald Trump's ban on travel to the United States from Iraq and six other Muslim-majority countries, a parliamentary media official told Reuters.
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Trump's order suspending travel, which he signed on Friday, has prompted angry reactions in Iraq, where more than 5,000 U.S. troops are deployed to help Iraqi and regional Kurdish forces in the war against Islamic State.
A government official in Baghdad earlier said Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari plans to meet the U.S. ambassador on Monday or Tuesday to express dismay at Trump's decision.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has not yet reacted to the ban.
Taking a more diplomatic line than the Iraqi parliament, Iraq's Foreign Ministry has asked the United States to reconsider the travel ban on its citizens.
"It is necessary that the new American administration reconsider this wrong decision," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Noting their cooperation in fighting ISIS, the statement added: "We affirm Iraq's desire to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries."
By executive order on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump banned U.S. entry for people from seven Muslim-majority countries – Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen – and temporarily halted the admission of refugees.