Iraq’s designated Prime Minister Adnan al-Zurfi rebutted accusations saying that he assumed his post through a deal with President Barham Salih, stressing that his aim is not to break any party’s will.
His comments were made in response to accusations against him and Salih regarding the mechanism assigned to him to form the government without a Shiite consensus.
During a meeting with a group of Iraqi journalists at his residence on Sunday, Zurfi explained that being one of the candidates for the position allowed him to be designated.
He pointed out that he only assumed his post when the constitutional deadline to choose a PM for the country was not met.
The President adhered to the constitutional deadline, asked the political blocs concerned to resolve the matter a day before the end of this deadline and submitted an urgent request to the Federal Court, Zurfi told reporters.
Asked whether his designation was a US option, Zurfi affirmed that he was chosen by an Iraqi decision only.
The PM-designate said being forced to leave Iraq to any other country, including the United States, due to war and oppression by the former regime is not an offense.
He noted that holding US citizenship doesn’t mean he was chosen by the US, rejecting such an “unacceptable alibi”.
“I am mainly concerned about building balanced relations with all regional countries, as well as establishing balanced state relations with regional and international powers on the basis of shared interests while prioritizing our national interests.”
Regarding his options in light of many crises, one of which is the relationship with his Shiite partners, Zurfi said he launched Sunday official consultations to form the new government.
The Iraqi official stressed that he is working on forming a government in which all parties participate, pointing out that it is a crisis government due to the nature of the challenges it faces.
He further noted that its mission will be only for one year, during which preparations will take place for holding early elections in the country.
