Iraq PM Blames Rivals for Chaos
Arab World
Baghdad - Hamza Mustafa
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi unveiled yet more reforms in a last ditch attempt to prevent nationwide protests against the government resuming on Friday. Abdul Mahdi announced the new set of measures aimed at reducing the salaries of top officials, reforming the ministries, providing incomes to poor families, and offering fresh opportunities for young people. He said in Thursday's address that a government collapse would drag Iraq into further turmoil. “The resignation of the government today without a constitutional alternative, will lead the country into chaos,” he said. Shuffling the cards further, Abdul Mahdi held former officials responsible for the chaos his government faces today. On the other hand, officials from the State of Law Coalition headed by Nouri al-Maliki and the Victory Alliance headed by Haider al-Abadi launched a wave of criticism against Abdul Mahdi and held him responsible for the bloodshed witnessed during popular protests. Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Ali Sistani, in a Friday speech given by one of his representatives criticized a report by a panel of inquiry put together by Abdul Mahdi regarding the violence witnessed at the protests. Sistani, however, backed the Iraqi prime minister by saying that the country needs to be stabilized. "Real reform and change in the country has to be through peaceful methods," a representative of the cleric said during a sermon in the city of Karbala. “The authority’s insistence that protests must remain peaceful, without any violence, stems not only from its interest in keeping protesters and security forces from being hurt but also from its extreme care for the country’s future,” he said. “Chaos and ruin,” he warned, would “pave the way for more external interference”. Sistani, who rarely weighs in on politics except in times of crisis, said that security forces must not allow attacks on public and private property.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1962146/iraq-pm-blames-rivals-chaos
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