Today, Wednesday, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Lebanese Ambassador to express its protest against the statements of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, in which the popular crowd in Iraq dealt with, according to the Arab site.
The Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations Affairs, Muhammad Bahr Al -Ulum, said that the popular crowd is an important part of the military security system in Iraq, which is a governmental and legal institution, noting that what was issued by Aoun was not successful, and it was better not to involve Iraq in the Lebanese internal crisis.
Bahr Al -Ulum pointed out that a state of discomfort prevailed in the Iraqis, especially since Iraq did not hesitate to stand by Lebanon in various circumstances, and he expressed his hope that the Lebanese President would correct this statement, in a way that enhances brotherly relations between the two countries, and confirms respect for the privacy of each country.
Aoun said, in press statements, that he would not reproduce the experience of the popular crowd in Iraq by absorbing Hezbollah in the army, nor that it would be an independent unit inside it.
He explained that “Hezbollah elements can join the army and undergo absorption courses, as happened at the end of the war (1975-1990) with many parties.”
Aoun also said in an interview with the media yesterday, Monday, that his goal is to “restrict arms in the hands of the state” this year, adding that the disarmament of Hezbollah will come through negotiations and not through force.
Aoun emphasized that the Lebanese army – which was a former commander – is carrying out its duty to confiscate weapons and dismantle unauthorized military installations in southern Lebanon, as shown in the ceasefire agreement that ended the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah in late November, and sometimes in areas further in the north.
