Rejected by Shiites, Iraqi Prime Minister-Designate Holds Extensive Talks
Arab World
Baghdad - Hamza Mustafa
Hours after Iraqi President Barham Salih announced assigning former governor of Najaf Adnan al-Zurfi to form a government, several Shiite leaders called for an urgent meeting to reject his mandate. A campaign was launched before the meeting to disseminate information that Zurfi, MP of Nasr Coalition, is rejected by the four religious references in Najaf, however, no official statement was issued to confirm the claims. The meeting was attended by Nuri al-Maliki, Hadi al-Amiri, Ammar al-Hakim, Haider al-Abadi who is also a member of Nasr, Faleh al-Fayyad, representatives of League of the Righteous led by Qais al-Khazali, and Nassar al-Rubai as representative of Sadrist movement. Reports also indicated that Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani refused to meet the PM before he received full support from the Shiite component. But, neither Zurfi nor Barzani’s office confirmed or denied the reports. The leaders did not issue a clear statement on rejecting Zurfi because they didn't agree on another candidate to present to the President. The meeting aimed to push Zurfi to withdraw his candidacy to nominate another figure, however, the Prime Minister-designate did not respond. Zurfi kicked off consultations with political forces including Sunni and Kurdish blocs. He also seemed to provoke his opponents by holding three meetings with international figures. He met with Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert who stressed the importance of forming an Iraqi government, which means Zurfi had received international support. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also affirmed Washington's support of Zurfi in a tweet. The PM met with both the Egyptian and Kuwaiti ambassadors, and according to two statements issued by his office, Zurfi received Arab support. Zurfi's office said in a statement that the meeting with the Kuwaiti ambassador stressed that the stability of Iraq is in the interest of neighboring and friendly countries. During the meeting, Zurfi reiterated the importance of Iraq assuming its position in the Arab and surrounding regions. The Kuwaiti Ambassador affirmed his country’s readiness to further cooperate over common issues between the two brotherly countries. Meanwhile, Iranian Ambassador, Mousa Alizadeh Tabatabaei, announced that his country's policy is based on non-interference in Iraq's internal affairs. “Iran's policy regarding Iraq is noninterference in its domestic affairs and respecting the choices the nation makes which are based on consensus and national understanding and within the framework of the country's Constitution and regulations,” Tabataei was quoted by IRNA news agency. Tabatabaei wished success for the Iraqi politicians in their efforts for the country's construction, stability, and security. Head of the Political Thinking Center, Ihsan al-Shammari, believes that Zurfi was only rejected by the State of Law bloc led by Nuri Maliki, and al-Fatah Coalition led by Hadi al-Amiri. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that Zurfi was strongly accepted among other Shiite blocs, welcomed by Sunnis, and cautiously accepted by the Kurdistan Alliance. Shammari added that the meeting held at Hakim’s house was not to reject him as a candidate as much as an attempt to reach a common ground and unify positions in preparation for the next stage. He indicated that some parties within the meeting tried to reach a consensus between Shiite forces that rejected Zurfi. Shammari said that they agreed to accept the mandate constitutionally. Zurfi is set to hold further talks with political forces during the constitutional period, and there remain disagreements on what he can present to these political forces, as the Shiite component wants guarantees regarding the next government, according to Shammari. He indicated that Zurfi must pledge to many demands such as his position from the armed forces and relation with Iran, given that Zurfi is believed to have a positive stance towards the US presence in Iraq.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2191691/rejected-shiites-iraqi-prime-minister-designate-holds-extensive-talks
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