Former Iraqi regime flag raised in Davos, official urges PM to investigate

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Raising the former Iraqi flag in Davos during the 2018 World Economic Forum (WEF), which represents the previous authoritarian regime of Iraq, is an unacceptable mistake, an Iraqi official declared.

During the annual forum in Davos, the old flag of Iraq was flown alongside those of other nations in attendance, a move which outraged many Iraqi officials at home.

“Flying the [old] flag at the forum, which represents the former Iraqi regime, is unacceptable. It affects the reputation and image of Iraq,” Mohammad al-Saihud, a Shia member of the Iraqi parliament told local news agency, al-Itijah Press.

“Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi, who participated in the forum in Davos, should have asked the organizers to clarify the raising of the old regime flag,” Saihud said.

He expressed his disappointment that such incident occurred in the presence of the Iraqi Premier who was leading a ministerial delegation to Davos.

“Abadi should have insisted on raising the current Iraqi flag, which represents the new democratic nation… He should have objected the presence of the old flag and boycotted the forum [as long as it remained raised],” the Iraqi lawmaker added.

So far, no explanation has been given by WEF organizers regarding the incident.

Abadi arrived in Davos on Tuesday with his Iraqi delegation. During his weekly press briefing, he told reporters that his participation in the WEF would allow him to lobby the international community to provide financial contributions to the reconstruction of Iraq following the territorial defeat of the Islamic State (IS) in the country last year.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) delegation, led by Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, also attended the forum and met with world leaders on the sidelines of the event.

For Kurds in Iraq, the old flag represents the former authoritarian regime of dictator Saddam Hussein who ruled over the country for over two decades. In 2008, Kurds and Shia voted in the Iraqi Parliament to change the flag and remove the three stars representing Saddam’s commitment to the pan-Arab ideology.

Editing by Nadia Riva