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On Friday, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, urged his nation’s political leaders to overcome their differences and form a government that could see off the advances of militants who have swept through large swathes of the country.
Sistani,, who is a revered cleric within the Shi’ite majority community and whose stature dwarfs that of all politicians in the country, insisted that any divisions were simply not an option, as militants are now holding territory in five provinces, with Kurdish authorities now controlling areas surrounding the autonomous Kurdish region.
“What is requested from political blocs is to agree on the three presidencies during the days allotted… in accordance with the constitutional timeline”, Abdul Mehdi Karbalai, a spokesman for Sistani, said on Friday at a prayer sermon in a Shi’ite shrine in Karbala. “That is the beginning of the political solution that everyone is looking for”, he added.
Karbalai was referring to the speaker of the Parliament, the Prime Minister and the President of the republic, positions which have in the past been parts of an encompassing package deal. Global leaders, including US President Barack Obama, called on politicians in Iraq to unite and swiftly form a government. However, with the parliament due to meet on July 1st, very little progress has been made in selecting people for the important posts. In the past, the President has usually been a Kurd, while a Sunni Arab has been the speaker of Parliament and a Shi’ite Arab has been the Prime Minister.
“No one should think of division as a solution to the current crisis. The solution that preserves the unity of Iraq and the rights of all its components according to the constitution is already there, and can be agreed on if the intentions are good from all sides”, Karbalai said.
