Iraq 'to appeal Blackwater verdict'

The Iraqi government will push to appeal a US court ruling dismissing charges of murder against five security guards of the private Blackwater firm, an official has told Al Jazeera. Saad al-Muttalibi, an adviser to the Iraqi council of ministers, said on Friday that if the guards did not receive a just sentence for the killing of 14 Iraqis in 2007, the issue would complicate relations between Iraq and the United States. "This matter will be appealed in the American court and if not resolved correctly, this will definitely add another strain on the relationship between Iraq and the United States," he said. "The legality or the procedures of the court case should not stop the criminals from facing justice and receiving a just sentence. "This is very bad ... for the overall look of the United States outside its borders. It's very important for the Americans to realize that this will work against their interests in Iraq and other places."