BAGHDAD, June 29 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Foreign Ministry rebuked on Saturday the threat by a U.S. congressman to designate Faiq Zidan, head of Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), as a "tool of Iranian influence" in Iraq.
The ministry said in a statement that the remarks by U.S. Congressman Mike Waltz against Zidan were "a blatant interference in Iraqi internal affairs."
Waltz on Thursday retweeted a U.S. media report about him preparing to label the SJC and its president Zidan "Iranian-controlled assets" via a legislative move by submitting a draft law amendment that includes a clause to back up his claim.
The Iraqi ministry stressed that "attempting to influence the judiciary is a violation of the most important components of the (Iraqi) state's entity, which is responsible for achieving justice, equality, and national stability."
The Iraqi parliament's Acting Speaker Mohsen al-Mandalawi noted that Iraq, as a sovereign country, builds its relations with all countries "upon mutual respect."
Al-Mandalawi said that if the draft law is approved, it will constitute a dangerous turning point that will affect, in one way or another, Iraq-U.S. relations. ■
