Maliki orders taking necessary measures to prevent fraud of passports

Baghdad (NINA) - Prime Minister, Nouri Al Maliki, said that "to obtain a passport is a legitimate right of every citizen and must be accomplished as soon as possible for all Iraqis inside and outside the country."

According to a statement from Maliki's office, on Tuesday, the Prime Minister conducted a surprise inspection visit to the General Directorate of Passports in Baghdad, as part of the field trips he is carrying out, starting by a visit to the medical city two days ago.

Maliki listened, according to the statement, to the citizens and the problems they face through following up on passport application and duration of the completion of the passport. He listened, also, to a detailed explanation from the staff, officers and officials of the Directorate for their needs and constraints of work. He viewed, in a tour that included divisions and sections of the Directorate, the mechanism of the printing and delivery of passports.

Maliki directed officials in the Directorate of Passports to "treat the citizens with respect and to complete their work with flexibility, without delay and extortion, as has been the case during the former regime time," stressing the need to provide the appropriate and decent place for the people.

He also ordered to "take the necessary measures to prevent cases of fraud that may be used by terrorists, and ensure the delivery of passports to their owners after verification of fingerprint and personal identity.” /End/
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