Bahraini ambassador, Iraqi deputy speaker deny protest note reports

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Republic of Iraq Salah Ali Al Maliki has denied recent reports claiming he had received a letter of protest from the highest religious figures in Iraq.
The reports claimed that the First Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi parliament Shaikh Humam Hamoudi conveyed the letter.
However, Ambassador Al Maliki said that he had not received any memorandum or letter of protest via anyone, stressing that protest notes are issued by the foreign ministry of the host country, and not by any other entity.
He added that the office of First Deputy Speaker Hamoudi had issued on Friday a strong denial that stressed that the protest reports were groundless and lacked credibility.
In his statement, Shaikh Hamoudi said that the Ambassador of Bahrain did not receive any note of protest from the highest religious figures over the arrest of Ali Salman, the secretary general of Al Wefaq Society.