Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani dismissed on Saturday calls for changing the political system in the country in wake of the radical changes in Syria with the ouster of Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Speaking at a ceremony commemorating the death of former head of the Supreme Iraqi Council Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim in 2003, Sudani stressed that Iraq had sought to distance itself from the developments in Syria.
“Some parties are using the situation in Syria to attempt to change the system of rule in Iraq. This issue is not up for debate,” he declared, while acknowledging that the region had witnessed in over a year major developments that have resulted in significant political changes.
Iraq is built on a democratic pluralistic system and the peaceful transition of power, he went on to say. It allows reform and correcting any imbalances through the constitution and laws.
“No one has the right to impose change and reforms in any file, whether it is economic or security-related,” he stated, while admitting that reforms are needed in various sectors.
Sudani noted that Iraq has managed in recent months to hold provincial elections and a census and restructured relations with the anti-ISIS coalition.
“These issues were completed at the insistence of our government in achieving full sovereignty and eliminating any restrictions on Iraq’s international activities,” he added.
Moreover, the PM stressed the need to “steer Iraq clear of becoming an arena for war in the coming months. We have consulted with brothers and friends to that end.”
Iraq is ready to help ease the suffering of the people of Gaza and Lebanon, he added.
Meanwhile, parliament Speaker Dr. Mahmoud al-Mashhadan reminded political forces of the “political settlement” document that the main political powers adopted in 2018 and which calls for turning Iraq into a unified state, rather than one formed of various “components”.
Speaking at the same commemoration, he called on the forces opposed to the document to “show some responsibility” and adopt it.
Furthermore, he urged all political powers to support and strengthen the current government because weakening it will weaken the entire political process in the country.
The “political settlement,” he explained, is a “clear roadmap that was handed to head of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim when he was head of a number of allies Shiite groups.”
Top leaderships and all political groups agreed to the settlement, which was handed to the United Nations. The settlement was supposed to be implemented in 2018, remarked the speaker.
“Had we implemented it, we would have met several demands that were made to us,” he noted.
Hakim, for his part, rejected that Iraq become an arena of “foreign influence.”
“Iraq must be treated as an independent sovereign state,” he stressed at the commemoration
“This is not a choice, but a need imposed by the sacrifices of our people and their right to build their own future,” he said.
He therefore called for launching “comprehensive regional dialogue aimed at setting permanent paths for understanding and cooperation between regional countries.”
“Dialogue is a means to achieve peace and stability,” he underscored.
