SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met Head of al-Fateh alliance Hadi al-Amiri on Tuesday amid a political crisis fueled by powerful Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Kadhimi and Amiri during the meeting in the Iraqi capital stressed the exclusion of the state institutions from the political conflicts, the meeting came after populist leader Sadr called his followers to stage a sit-in outside Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Court, a new move to paralyze the country’s judiciary system.
“The meeting discussed the latest developments, emphasizing to find a roadmap to escape the country from the ongoing political crises,” a statement by Prime Minister’s office said.
Influential cleric Sadr has helped inflame tensions in Iraq in recent weeks by commanding thousands of followers to storm and occupy parliament, preventing the formation of a government nearly 10 months after elections.
“We are closely monitoring the situation,” the U.S. embassy in Baghdad said and demanded Iraqi parties remain calm and avoid violence.
Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Region President has also released a statement concerning the recent political tense, saying “the country will no more persist all of these crises and further difficulties, eventually it will harm the Iraqi people”.
The standoff between the Shiite rivals in Iraq is the longest stretch without a fully functioning government in the nearly two decades since Saddam Hussein was overthrown in a U.S.-led invasion in 2003, and further weakening the caretaker government to provide the country’s essential services.
