Iraqi President Barham Salih warned the political forces against betting on the patience of the the Iraqi people, stressing that the country is at a crossroads.
Speaking at a ceremony planned by the Sunni Endowment to mark the birthday of Prophet Mohammad, Salih said the country is experiencing a critical moment that puts it at a crossroads, either to return to internal conflicts and alignments or to unify wills to face the challenges and meet the citizens' needs.
Salih called for evoking the lessons in tolerance and coexistence from the biography of the Prophet Muhammad, stressing: "we must stop wasting opportunities."
The president called for putting the country on the right track, saying there is a need for a new political and social contract that guarantees civil peace and addresses the mistakes and experiences of the past.
"It is no longer acceptable to continue with the status quo," said Salih, adding that the living conditions and services have worsened.
Salih added that without stability, the "door would open to external interventions that have made the country a field for foreign struggles."
"I sincerely call on all political forces to hold a serious dialogue based on the interest of the country and the citizen and to form a full-powered government to approve the budget and manage the next stage," he concluded.
The president asserted that the first step in reform is to fight corruption, warning that the repercussions are not limited to wasting the country's wealth but also fueling divisions and threatening social peace.
A year after the parliamentary elections, the political crisis continues in Iraq.
The differences among Shiite forces hindered the formation of the government, while the Kurdish disputes prevented an agreement on a consensual candidate between the two main Kurdish parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
