NEW YORK, 4 July — Two Iraqi diplomats are seeking asylum in the United States, informed sources told Arab News. They said Iraq’s permanent representative at the United Nations, Muhammad Al-Muhaimeed, and minister plenipotentiary, Falah Hasan Al-Rubaie, had asked Washington for asylum. Al-Muhaimeed, the second highest ranking Iraqi at the United Nations, walked into the police station in New York City’s 17th precinct last Friday and told the police of his wish, a spokesman for the Kurdistan regional government said. He also sought asylum for his wife, Layali Al-Khatawi, and their three sons while Al-Rubaie requested asylum for his wife and child. Muhammad Aldouri, Iraq’s ambassador to the UN, would neither confirm nor deny the defections. — Salah Awad