Iraq crisis: Saleh, al-Kadhimi stress importance of serious dialog

Iraqi President Barham Salih and Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi stressed on Sunday the importance of serious and effective dialog to  reach a solution to the political crisis.

“President Barham Salih met Sunday at the As-Salam Palace in Baghdad with Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi”, the presidency said in a statement carried by the official Iraqi News Agency (INA).

During the meeting, several issues related to the general situation in the country, especially the current political crisis and its repercussions, were discussed, as the importance of serious and effective dialog to reach a way out of the crisis and solutions that take into account the exact circumstances the country is going through and the aspirations of citizens was stressed.

The two sides stressed the need to strengthen the internal front and pursue courses of action based on the supreme national interest, contribute to bringing the country out of the current crisis, face political, economic and financial challenges, respond to the expected entitlements, consolidate security and stability and protect civil and social peace in the country.

This comes as supporters of the Sadrist movement have been staging a sit-in in and around the House of Representatives for about a month. They have also briefly besieged the Supreme Judicial Council, demanding the dissolution of parliament and the holding of early legislative elections.

Al-Kadhimi had launched a “national dialog” to try to get Iraq out of the impasse, but representatives of the Sadrist movement and their leader boycotted this initiative, saying that it “has only resulted in some points that do not fatten or lead to hunger”.