Sistani Scolds Iraqi Politicians for Seeking Personal Gains

A street vendor in al-Rasheed street, the oldest street in central Baghdad, Iraq, July 26, 2016. (AP)
A street vendor in al-Rasheed street, the oldest street in central Baghdad, Iraq, July 26, 2016. (AP)
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Sistani Scolds Iraqi Politicians for Seeking Personal Gains

A street vendor in al-Rasheed street, the oldest street in central Baghdad, Iraq, July 26, 2016. (AP)
A street vendor in al-Rasheed street, the oldest street in central Baghdad, Iraq, July 26, 2016. (AP)

Marking the fifth anniversary of issuing a fatwa urging to carry arms against ISIS, Iraq’s Ayatollah Ali Sistani fronted a wave of fierce criticism against the country’s politicians for stalling ministerial hires and delaying effective measures to counter institutional corruption.

Ahmad Al Safi, Sistani’s representative, delivered a Friday sermon in the central city of Karbala whereby he put internal divisions in Iraq under the spotlight.

“Disputes, whether they are overt or hidden, have been renewed among parties in power,” he said, adding that some forces that came to power during the war on ISIS are seeking to “consolidate their presence and achieve certain gains.”

“The continuation of conflicts over gains and bounties among those in power and ongoing tribal sectarian, regional and political problems…could enable ISIS remnants to return and exploit aggrieved and indignant people,” Safi warned.

He also blasted politicians for perpetuating a logjam stopping the assignment of ministerial portfolios from getting finalized and failing to establish clear measures to counter corruption “plaguing government institutions.”

“Delay in resolving vacant ministerial posts is not justified at all,” an Iraqi politician, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Reviewing Sistani’s harshly-worded speech, they pointed out that it is unprecedented and raises the alarm for politicians regarding the country’s faltering public services. This, according to the unnamed source, creates urgency to complete the cabinet lineup.

Newly-elected lawmaker Naim al-Aboudi, in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, decried the delay in filling all ministerial portfolios and said it threatens political stability in the country.

“Today, after the speech, and all the clarity it was delivered with, there is no option left before political parties but to swiftly and decisively move towards filling vacant ministerial posts,” he said, hinting that there could be a breakthrough soon with the justice and education portfolios.



Lebanon’s PM Visits Syrian President to Discuss Border Demarcation and Security

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
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Lebanon’s PM Visits Syrian President to Discuss Border Demarcation and Security

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam led a high-level ministerial delegation to Syria on Monday for talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, marking the most significant diplomatic visit between the two countries since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December.

"My visit to Damascus today aims to open a new page in the history of relations between the two countries, based on mutual respect, restoring trust, good neighborliness," Salam said in a statement on X.

At the center of discussions was implementing a March 28 agreement signed in Saudi Arabia by the Syrian and Lebanese defense ministers to demarcate land and sea borders and improve coordination on border security issues, Salam said in the statement.

The Lebanese-Syrian border witnessed deadly clashes earlier this year and years of unrest in the frontier regions, which have been plagued by weapons and illicit drug smuggling through illegal crossings.

During Monday’s meeting, Salam and Sharaa agreed to form a joint ministerial committee to oversee the implementation of the border agreement, close illegal crossings and suppress smuggling activity along the border.

The border area, especially near Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley and Syria’s Qusayr region, has long been a corridor for illicit trade, arms trafficking, and the movement of fighters — including Hezbollah fighters who backed the Assad government during Syria’s 14-year civil war.

Hezbollah has been significantly weakened in its recent war with Israel and since Assad's ousting, it lost several key smuggling routes it once relied on for weapons transfers.

Lebanon also pressed Syria to provide clarity on the fate of thousands of Lebanese nationals who were forcibly disappeared or imprisoned in Syrian jails in the 1980s and 1990s, during Syria’s nearly 30-year military presence in Lebanon. Human rights groups have long documented the lack of accountability and transparency regarding these cases, with families of the missing holding regular demonstrations in Beirut demanding answers.

Syrian officials for their part raised the issue of Syrian nationals detained in Lebanese prisons, Salam said. Many of the detainees were arrested for illegal entry or alleged involvement in militant activity. Rights advocates in both countries have criticized the lack of due process in many of these cases and the poor conditions inside detention facilities.

Lebanon pledged to hand over people implicated in crimes committed by the Assad government and security forces, many of whom are believed to have fled to Lebanon after the government’s collapse, if found on Lebanese soil, a ministerial source told The Associated Press.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to publicly comment.

In return, Lebanese officials requested the extradition of Syrians wanted in Lebanese courts for high-profile political assassinations, "most notably those involved in the bombing of the Al-Taqwa and Al-Salam mosques, those convicted of assassinating President Bashir Gemayel, and other crimes for which the Assad regime is accused," Salam said.

For decades, Lebanon witnessed a long series of politically motivated assassinations targeting journalists, politicians and security officials, particularly those opposed to Syrian influence. The 2013 twin bombings of the Al-Taqwa and Al-Salam mosques in Tripoli in northern Lebanon killed more than 40 people and intensified sectarian tensions already heightened by the spillover from the Syrian war.

Syria has never officially acknowledged involvement in any of Lebanon’s political assassinations.

Salam said he also pushed for renewed cooperation on the return of Syrian refugees.

Lebanese government officials estimate the country hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, of whom about 755,000 are officially registered with the UN refugee agency, or UNHCR, making it the country with the highest number of refugees per capita in the world.

While Lebanese authorities have long urged the international community to support large-scale repatriation efforts, human rights organizations have cautioned against forced returns, citing ongoing security concerns and a lack of guarantees in Syria.

Since the fall of Assad in December, an estimated 400,000 refugees have returned to Syria from neighboring countries, according to UNHCR, with about half of them coming from Lebanon, but many are hesitant to return because of the dire economic situation and fears of continuing instability in Syria.