Sadr Says Wants to Form Govt with Political Majority in Iraq

Head of the Sadrist movement, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. (Reuters)
Head of the Sadrist movement, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. (Reuters)
TT
20

Sadr Says Wants to Form Govt with Political Majority in Iraq

Head of the Sadrist movement, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. (Reuters)
Head of the Sadrist movement, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. (Reuters)

Head of the Sadrist movement, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is still able to control the political scene in Iraq from his modest home in Najaf city, some 160 kms south of Baghdad.

Sadr had emerged as the victor in last month’s parliamentary elections, handing him the reins in forming the next government. The elections have also created a sharp divide between Shiite parties, with Sadr the victor, on one end, and pro-Iran factions on the losing end.

Sadr on Sunday declared that he wanted to form a government through the political majority. In a statement, he explained that the new parliament should bring together the majority that forms the government and is responsible for reform on all levels, and the opposition that should be consulted for the reforms and government formation.

All of this should take place through democratic means, he stressed.

The government formation process will have to wait, however, as the elections commission continues to manually recount votes that have been appealed. The losing factions are also still holding street rallies in protest against the poll results in an effort to influence the formation process.

On whether a political majority government can be formed, Sunni MP Mashaan al-Jabouri said: “Anyone who wants change in the country has to support a majoritarian government.”

“Our concern, however, is that with such a government, the Shiites that are not part of it could create problems that may threaten civil peace,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“If such an obstacle is overcome, then all of us would support the formation of a political majority government and a strong opposition,” he added.

State of Law MP Mohammed Saadoun al-Sahyoun said the next government can be formed through one of three possible coalitions.

The first coalition could bring the Sadrist bloc with Sunnis and Kurdish forces, the second would see the losing factions side with the Kurdish coalition, and the third, which is the most likely, would see the Sadrists join the losing Shiites in forming the government.

The political disputes between the blocs are great and deep, but not insurmountable, he stated. Rapprochement is needed between rivals because the Iraqi people are awaiting a new government that can address pending problems.



Lebanon and Syria Agree on Ceasefire After Deadly Cross-Border Clashes 

Syrian troops take position in the village of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali, located 2 km (1.24 miles) from the Lebanon border, Syria, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP)
Syrian troops take position in the village of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali, located 2 km (1.24 miles) from the Lebanon border, Syria, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP)
TT
20

Lebanon and Syria Agree on Ceasefire After Deadly Cross-Border Clashes 

Syrian troops take position in the village of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali, located 2 km (1.24 miles) from the Lebanon border, Syria, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP)
Syrian troops take position in the village of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali, located 2 km (1.24 miles) from the Lebanon border, Syria, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP)

Lebanon's Defense Minister Michel Menassa and his Syrian counterpart Murhaf Abu Qasra agreed on a ceasefire, the Lebanese and Syrian defense ministries said in statements on Monday, as cross-border clashes in the last two days left 10 dead.

Three soldiers in Syria's new army and seven Lebanese were killed in border clashes during the past two days, the Syrian defense ministry and Lebanese health ministry said.

On the Lebanese side, 52 people were wounded, the health ministry said.

The Lebanese and Syrian defense ministers also agreed on continuing contacts between the army intelligence directorates to prevent more deterioration on the border.

The mountainous frontier has been a flashpoint in the three months since opposition factions toppled Syria's Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Tehran and Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, and installed their own institutions and army.

Meanwhile, Lebanon's Foreign Affairs Minister Youssef Raji met his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani in Brussels to discuss the cross-border developments and agreed to maintain contacts, the Lebanese state news agency NNA reported.

Late on Sunday, Syria's defense ministry accused Hezbollah of crossing into Syrian territory and kidnapping and killing the three members of Syria's new army. Hezbollah denied any involvement.

A Lebanese security source told Reuters the three Syrian soldiers had crossed into Lebanese territory first and were killed by armed members of a tribe in northeastern Lebanon who feared their town was under attack.

Syrian troops responded by shelling Lebanese border towns overnight, according to the Syrian defense ministry and the Lebanese army.

Residents of the town of Al-Qasr, less than 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) from the border, told Reuters they fled further inland to escape the bombardment.

Lebanon's army said in a statement on Monday that it had handed over the bodies of the three killed Syrians to Syrian authorities, and that it had responded to fire from Syrian territory and sent reinforcements to the border area.

Syria's army sent a convoy of troops and several tanks to the frontier on Monday, according to a Reuters reporter along the border. Syrian troops fired into the air as they moved through towns on the way to the border.

"Large military reinforcements were brought in to reinforce positions along the Syrian-Lebanese border and prevent any breaches in the coming days," said Maher Ziwani, the head of a Syrian army division deploying to the border.