BAGHDAD, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi authorities have officially removed Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthi group from a list of entities subject to terrorist asset freezes, according to an official document disclosed Tuesday.
The decision, made on Sunday by the Iraqi Committee for Freezing Terrorist Assets, effectively reverses the two groups' initial designation.
The committee's resolution stated the two groups are "not covered by the provisions of the decision," clarifying that the list is exclusively limited to entities and individuals affiliated with the Islamic State and al-Qaeda terrorist organizations.
The removal follows a major political controversy stemmed from a list, released by the Iraqi Committee for Freezing Terrorist Assets in the official Gazette on Nov. 17, that included Hezbollah and the Houthi group among entities whose funds would be frozen.
On Thursday, the committee said the listing erroneously included the two groups and would be corrected immediately.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani also issued a clarification on Thursday, and ordered an urgent investigation to identify those responsible for the error, noting the published decision contained "language that did not reflect the factual position." He stressed that Iraq's political and humanitarian stance toward the aggression against people in Lebanon and Palestine is principled and unwavering.
On Friday, the Iraqi presidency denied in a statement any knowledge of or approval for the two groups' initial designation. ■
