18 Oct 2019; MEMO: Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali Alhakim said yesterday that his country is ready to receive members of Daesh and their families to be prosecuted in Iraq.
Alhakim indicated during a joint press conference with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, in Baghdad: “We discussed with the French side the fate of terrorist elements detained inside Syria in light of Turkish military operations.”
“Iraq is ready to receive the Iraqi ISIS elements and their families to be tried inside the country,” he said in reference to Daesh fighters.
Alhakim asserted that the Iraqi forces are monitoring what is happening in Syria and had taken measures to prevent infiltration of foreign fighters across the border.
He pointed out that the number of Daesh elements in Syria is very large as they came from 72 countries, calling on those countries to take the necessary measures to end their presence in the country.
The Iraqi Foreign Minister also indicated that “there are international efforts to ease tensions in the region and secure navigation in the Gulf,” stressing the need to “reduce escalation and tension between the US and Iran.”
For his part, the French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned of the risk of the re-emergence of Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
“Our enemy is ISIS and we fought the terrorist organisation together within the framework of the international coalition”, Le Drian said.
He added: “The Coalition must meet urgently to discuss the imminent danger of the re-emergence of ISIS in Syria and Iraq.”
Earlier this week, Iraqi President Barham Saleh said his country would not become a “dumping ground” for Daesh fighters from Syria.
