Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq's parliamentary ForeignRelations Committee is seeking a review of the country's ambassadors anddiplomatic missions abroad, a lawmaker told Shafaq News on Sunday, citing theneed to improve the efficiency of the diplomatic service and safeguard publicfunds.
Committee member Mukhtar Al-Moussawirevealed that lawmakers plan to engage with the Foreign Ministry to examineambassadorial appointments and term extensions, along with the distribution ofdiplomatic personnel across Iraq's overseas missions.
Iraq's current economic conditions, headded, require tighter spending across state institutions, including diplomaticmissions, with priority given to countries that have significant political andeconomic ties to Iraq or large Iraqi communities. The committee also favorsreassessing missions in countries where Iraq has limited diplomatic activity toreduce unnecessary expenditures.
The number of Iraqi ambassadors hasincreased from 26 several years ago to more than 100 today. Overseas postingscarry substantial financial benefits, including monthly salaries of up to$12,000, as well as official vehicles, security protection, housing, and healthcoverage.
Diplomatic posts, includingambassadorships, are often distributed among political blocs through informalpower-sharing arrangements. Political parties nominate affiliates, relatives,or loyalists for those positions, a practice critics describe as a"division of influence" across state institutions.
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