Iraqi diaspora in Germany urges extension of Frankfurt consular official's term

BAGHDAD, Iraq — BERLIN — Representatives of the Iraqi diaspora in Germany have formally appealed to Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and the Iraqi parliament's Foreign Relations Committee, calling for the tenure of Salam Tariq Defai, a consular officer at the Iraqi consulate in Frankfurt, to be extended. The signatories said the appeal reflects a broad cross-section of the Iraqi community, spanning different ethnic and sectarian groups. In the petition, the representatives praised Defai for what they described as exceptional efforts in following up on diaspora issues, facilitating consular procedures and improving services. They also commended him for organizing paperwork outside the consulate building to ease crowding and for raising the Frankfurt mission's standing in performance evaluations. The signatories included Sengar Salar Shaho on behalf of the Munich Kurdish community, Hilal Shammari, head of the Arab-German Literature and Press Council, Nader Emanuel Odiso representing Christian communities, Nozat Aziz Hababat as the Frankfurt Yazidi community representative, and Ali Sitar Hani representing the Chaldean community in Baden-Württemberg. Also signing were Murtaza Ali Mousavi on behalf of Husseini councils in northern Germany, Hussein Jarrah of the Ornina Archaeology Association and Kirar Majmai, representative of the largest Iraqi youth community in Germany. No response from the Foreign Ministry or the parliamentary committee was immediately available.