Iraq urged to ease tensions amid political protests

BAGHDAD－The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq and the Arab League have called for an end to the escalation of tensions in the country during protests against the nomination of Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani for the post of prime minister.

"The ongoing escalation is extremely concerning," the mission said on Twitter. "Voices of reason and wisdom are critical to prevent further violence." It encouraged the protagonists to "de-escalate in the interest of all Iraqis".

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit appealed to all Iraqi political forces to work to stop the escalation of tensions and start sincere dialogue.

"The secretary-general stresses that getting things out of control will not be in the interest of Iraq or in the interest of any party," the Arab League said on Facebook.

On Saturday hundreds of followers of the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr started a sit-in inside the Iraqi parliament building in central Baghdad, and his political opponents called on their supporters to prepare for a counterprotest.

"The people choose the open sit-in in the parliament," Ibrahim al-Jaberi, head of al-Sadr's office, said on his Facebook page.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of al-Sadr's followers broke into the Green Zone, which houses the main government headquarters, residencies of some top political leaders and some foreign embassies, and entered the parliament building for the second time in three days.

The Iraqi Health Ministry said up to 100 people and 25 security personnel were hurt when security forces tried to prevent the demonstrators from entering the Green Zone.

Iraq's President Barham Salih urged everyone in the country to keep calm and engage in dialogue to ensure the country's security and stability and consolidate its civil and social peace.

In a televised speech, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi called on everyone "to be calm, patient and rational, and not to be drawn into confrontation".

"We must all cooperate to stop those who accelerate this sedition, and everyone must know that the fire of sedition will burn everyone, so the political blocs must resort to negotiation for the sake of Iraq and the Iraqis," he said.

Al-Sadr's opponents in the Coordination Framework, an umbrella group of Shiite parliamentary parties, called on the people "to demonstrate peacefully in defense of the state, its legitimacy and its institutions".

Mohammed al-Halbousi, the parliamentary speaker, said parliamentary sessions were suspended until further notice, and he called on all leaders and political blocs to gather for an urgent national meeting.

The Coordination Framework later said that it was decided to postpone the date of the counterdemonstrations until further notice and to give time for dialogue and positive political solutions after some Coordination Framework leaders, tribal, and religious leaders tried to ease tensions.

The Coordination Framework became the largest alliance in the Iraqi parliament after al-Sadr ordered his followers in the Sadrist Movement, the biggest winner in the elections held on Oct 10 last year with 73 seats, to withdraw from the parliament.

Xinhua