Baghdad: The Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee has disclosed ongoing disputes impeding the selection of candidates for Iraq's new ambassadors. These disagreements are primarily centered around the involvement of political blocs in the nomination process. According to National Iraqi News Agency, committee member MP Haider Al-Salami stated that although work on the list of ambassador candidates continues, objections have arisen over the mechanism dictating that 50% of the candidates should be from political blocs and the other 50% from the ministry. Al-Salami emphasized the necessity for ambassadorial selections to be based on diplomatic corps membership and career progression. Al-Salami further explained that a previous list of candidates had been prepared and filtered during the last parliamentary session but was never submitted to the House of Representatives, rendering it non-binding and subject to change. He noted that the current agreement among parliamentary political groups violates the Foreig n Service Law, which stipulates that only up to 25% of ambassadorial candidates can be selected from outside the ministry. The committee member affirmed that the process of selecting new ambassadorial candidates faces significant challenges and is unlikely to proceed smoothly. This delay is occurring despite the pressing need to fill ambassadorial positions, as Iraqi diplomatic missions abroad are experiencing vacancies. Al-Salami highlighted the urgency by mentioning that around 100 ambassadors are needed due to upcoming retirements and vacancies, and stressed that some current ambassadors should return to ministry service as mandated by the Foreign Service Law.