Iraq Summons Saudi Envoy for Meddling in Country's Affairs, Insulting Shia Scholars
Thamer al-Sabhan, who is the first Saudi ambassador to Baghdad in years and had just submitted his credentials to Iraqi official on January 14, in unconsidered comments on Saturday said Shia volunteer forces are not welcome in Iraq’s Sunni and Kurdish areas.
He also claimed that the presence of Shia forces in the fight against ISIL Takfiri terrorists has exacerbated sectarian tensions in Iraq.
Iraqi foreign ministry on Sunday summoned the Saudi envoy in protest at his comments, which it described as meddling in Iraq’s domestic affairs.
Al-Sabhan in his comments also insulted grand sources of emulation, saying "anyone who listens to Friday prayers sermons delivered by Ayatollah Sistani (Iraq’s top Shia cleric) … would recognize the danger of Shia sources of emulation.”
He also described prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, who was executed by the Riyadh regime on baseless charges earlier this month, as "a terrorist”.
On January 2, the Saudi Interior Ministry announced that Sheikh Nimr had been put to death along with 46 others who were convicted of being involved in "terrorism.”
The cleric’s execution drew strong public and political condemnations around the world.
