Iraqi premier meets firebrand Shia cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr after dispute
Iraqi
Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi on Monday met with firebrand Shia cleric
Muqtada al-Sadr, who in recent months has led a series of
anti-government demonstrations.
The
meeting tackled a host of political and security issues, particularly
the war against Daesh and ongoing operations to retake the city of Mosul
from the notorious terrorist group, according to a statement issued by
al-Abadi’s office.
Monday’s meeting was the first between the two men since February, when al-Sadr called for the dismissal of al-Abadi’s cabinet.
In
March, al-Sadr supporters staged a series of protests in Baghdad to
demand that al-Abadi replace members of his cabinet with a government of
“technocrats” untainted by corruption or sectarian affiliations.
Al-Sadr’s Ahrar Bloc holds 34 out of 328 seats in Iraq’s parliament.
The
Ahrar Bloc, however, is not represented in Iraq’s current government
after Ahrar-affiliated ministers collectively resigned in April.
“The
meeting [between al-Sadr and al-Abadi] was intended to coordinate
positions between members of the National Alliance,” alliance member
Habib al-Turifi said.
The
Shia-oriented National Alliance, which includes both al-Sadr’s Ahrar
Bloc and al-Abadi’s Islamic Dawa Party, is the largest bloc in Iraq’s
parliament.
According
to al-Turifi, al-Abadi intends to propose a list of new ministers to
parliament following the end of the current parliamentary recess.
For
the last ten weeks, the Iraqi army has led a wide-ranging offensive to
retake Mosul, which was captured by Daesh in mid-2014.
- 26 December 2016
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