Sadr condemns American consulate in Basra

The cleric Muqtadah al-Sadr condemned the opening of the U.S. consulate in “free” Basra, calling for popular and political responses, stressing that "the occupiers" would bring forces into the province using the excuse of protecting the consulate. A spokesman for Muqtadah al-Sadr, Salah al-Obeidi, said in a statement issued on Wednesday, that Muqtadah al-Sadr expressed his strong condemnation for the opening of the "occupying" U.S. consulate in the province of Basra". He noted that "the protection of the consulate by “the occupiers” would act as a pretext for the introduction of forces in the province." al-Sadr said that the re-opening of the consulate was an attempt by the U.S. forces to violate the Iraqi sovereignty. Obeidi said in his statement that: "A large majority of the Provincial Council had voted for a resolution to prevent the entry of the occupying forces into the province." He pointed out that "The Americans crossed the line of what they claim to be democracy - which "supposedly" provides for the respect of other people’s opinions and those of their representatives. They presented a request to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry asking to open a consulate in Basra which was met with the acceptance of the Ministry." Obeidi added that "al-Sadr calls for the prevention of such legal violations." In the statement he called for: "action at both the political and popular levels in an attempt to avoid the violation of the Iraqi sovereignty". The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, James Jeffrey, officially opened the U.S. consulate in Basra yesterday, in the presence of the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman. A statement from the U.S. Embassy given by Feltman yesterday confirmed that Pippa Campbell has been appointed to the post of Consul General in Basra, and indicated that this consulate comprises of the provinces of Basra, Muthanna, Maysan, and Dhi Qar. He mentioned that most of the presence of U.S. troops in Basra, about 590 km south of Baghdad, was centred on the military side of the Basra international airport about 14km north-west of Basra where the airport is divided into two sides - one military and one civilian. The civilian side is subject to the full control of the Iraqi authorities, while the American forces have taken part of the military base. This side also contains American and British consulates, and was the military side of the airport up until 2008 when there were continuous rocket attacks. This month it was exposed to more similar attacks.