PARIS, March 21: France said on Friday that it will not accede to an American request to expel Iraqi diplomats.

“France has been asked by the American authorities to expel Iraqi diplomats and shut the embassy,” said foreign ministry spokesman Francois Rivasseau.

“France believes this request is a matter of sovereignty. At the moment there is no reason to respond positively,” he said.

RUSSIA: Russia will refuse any US demands to expel Iraqi diplomats, Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said on Friday.

“If we were to receive such a request, it would have no legal force and we would react accordingly,” Ivanov told reporters in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament.

GERMANY: Germany has “no current plans” to comply with a new US request to expel Iraqi diplomats, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday.

“We have been informed of the US request, but there are no current plans to take any action,” the spokesman said.

The German government has ordered regional authorities not to expel any illegal immigrants from Iraq while war is being waged, an interior ministry spokesman said Friday.—AFP

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...