Wednesday Evening Iraq Parliament News Highlights 8-31-22

Al-Maliki Issues A Lengthy Statement Regarding The Events In Iraq

Iraq   15:34 - 08-30-2022  The leader of the State of Law coalition, Nuri al-Maliki, issued a lengthy statement regarding the events in Iraq. Al -Maliki said in a statement, the text below: “ In the name of   God , the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful (and fear a trial that will not afflict those of you who have wronged in particular) . Nationalism was not declared by politicians from all national forces, but I would like to recall the following facts:

First: The force cannot impose a political reality that forces others to proceed according to its compass.

Second: The one who ignites the war is not the one who stops it or controls its tracks, just as he is not the one who reaps its fruits. Rather, there are internal and external influences that start to stir or stop the bloody scene.

Third: Everyone has pledged to preserve the political system and work under the umbrella of the constitution and the law, and we must condemn any wrong practice by any of us without complacency or equivocation.

Fourth: The legitimate state institutions have full immunity and respect in accordance with the law, and that attacking them is a major crime punishable by laws, and it is considered sabotage of political life and a violation of pluralistic democracy.

Fifth: Nineteen years of violent policies and the strife between this component or that and that political party and that party have sufficed us. The Iraqi people have reaped nothing but pain, suffering, strife, and lost opportunities for construction and progress. And whoever puts Iraq in his heart and mind, he must be consistent with this conviction and claim and adhere to the constitutional contexts in his political steps, and appeal to the logic of reason and the national interest and legitimacy, and is subject to the rule of the Constitution, which is translated by the judicial, legislative and executive authorities.

Sixth: The people are the source of authority, so where is it in the culture and premises of political forces, or is it a tempting sign and a platform to achieve personal and objective goals, while the people are required to judge and criticize wrong and illegal practices in the light of their constitutional awareness.

Seventh: What we always say and adhere to remains as a structural part of our political practices, which is to stay away from violence and illegal force, break the system and sabotage it, and all political forces, whether represented by the government or the opposition, must resort to the decisions of the people’s voice that the legitimate parliament reduces through its decisions and laws And his positions, and adherence to the provisions of the judiciary and the Federal Court as the constitutional judge in disputes, and dealing with the executive authority as responsible for implementing laws and taking care of the people’s interest in what they aspire to, with respect for its institutions and decisions, and this is the common word that we have to meet with all our different affiliations and identities.

I take the opportunity today to offer my heartfelt thanks to the Popular Mobilization for its commitment and discipline and for not dealing emotionally with crises, at a time when thousands of its sons have sacrificed before us in response to the barbaric ISIS attacks on Iraq.

I also extend my thanks to my sons in the armed forces, who showed great discipline and patience while facing uncontrolled bullets and missiles that do not distinguish between a man, a woman and a Child      https://kirkuktv.net/AR/Details/8542

Al-Sadr" Ends The Most Dangerous Events Of 18 Hours, And His Minister Calls On The Factions To Leave The "Green"

Posted On2022-08-31 By Sotaliraq Baghdad / Tamim Al-Hassan   By only 6 minutes, Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Sadrist movement, turned back the most difficult 18 hours that had passed for Iraqis since 2003, during which about 30 people were killed and about 70 different shells were fired.

Al-Sadr gave his followers one hour to end all manifestations of the sit-in and armaments from inside the Green Zone, threatening other undisclosed measures.

Minutes before the speech of the leader of the movement, who had been close to him, announced his hunger strike until the end of the violence, his supporters had already begun to withdraw.

On the other hand, Sadr's recent speech will pave the way for his opponents to resume parliament sessions after the withdrawal of the protesters who have besieged the building for a month.

It is expected that the coordination framework for the dialogue will return quickly in order to form a new government, but it will take into account what happened during the last 30 days.

Immediately after the end of the short "Sadr speech", video clips of the leader's supporters leaving the Green Zone, including armed men, were transmitted.

The leader of the Sadrist movement had ordered his followers yesterday to withdraw from the fighting and sit-in within "60 minutes", warning: "Otherwise, we will take other steps."

The followers of "Al-Sadr" had begun an armed clash with armed groups inside the Green Zone, about 6 hours after the leader's resignation speech.

Shooting was heard from the government area at about six o'clock in the evening, about 3 hours after imposing a curfew.

According to platforms close to the movement, the sounds of gunfire were a response to the killing of two demonstrators and the wounding of more than 10 people during the storming of the government palace.

Those platforms accused armed factions inside the green, while the gunmen then poured into the government area despite the imposition of a curfew.

On the other hand, the factions' news websites were keen not to show any pictures or clips from the other side of the battles that were taking place between the cabinet and parliament buildings.

These faction websites have promoted that the armed "followers of al-Sadr" are attacking the security forces that are working to expel them from the Green Zone.

In order to remove the confusion about the identity of the other party in the Green Zone, the "Commander's Minister" demanded that the factions leave the Green Zone in return.

The minister, who reactivated his account after Monday's closure, added: "The armed factions, even if they belong to the Popular Mobilization under any title, must leave the Green Zone, for the security forces to take charge immediately. Otherwise, the state will have no prestige." ?

And appeared shortly before the start of the clashes, vehicles believed to belong to the "Saraya al-Salam", the armed arm of the Sadrist movement, and the clashes continued until midday yesterday.

According to estimates of security and health sources, about 30 people were killed and dozens were injured, while more than 60 shells were used in those clashes.

Video clips broadcast by sites close to the movement showed the use of monopods and rockets (RPGs), in addition to mortar platforms and "Katyusha".

Last night, it witnessed the burning of about 40 headquarters of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, the Dawa Party, and the Badr Organization, in eastern Baghdad, Babil, Najaf, Diwaniyah, Basra, and other cities.

Yesterday morning, the joint operations announced that 4 missiles landed in the vicinity of the Green Zone, hitting residential sites, and they were launched from eastern Baghdad.

According to news platforms close to the movement, they had confirmed that "supporters of al-Sadr" fired more than 10 missiles from the Baladiyat area.

These websites also published data about the last night, claiming that 300 sites of Shiite factions and parties had been attacked.

He said that two columns of what it described as "militias" were destroyed, and those whom it called "10 terrorists" were arrested, a designation that these platforms have now given to members of the factions.

The leader of the Sadrist movement began his speech after midday yesterday, by saying: "It saddens me a lot what happens in Iraq," offering his apology to the Iraqi people.

Al-Sadr added, "The Iraqi is the only one affected by what is happening," noting that "the homeland is now a prisoner of corruption and violence."

He continued in the speech, which lasted less than 6 minutes, "We had hoped that there would be peaceful protests, not weapons," pointing out that "the revolution marred by violence is not a revolution."

And the leader of the Sadrist movement added, "I am now criticizing the Sadrist movement's revolution as I criticized the October revolution whend by v it was marreiolence," adding, "Change your minds and withdraw completely, even from the sit-in."

The leader of the current appeared exhausted during the sermon, as Hassan Al-Adhari, a leader in the Sadrists, had revealed on Monday that Al-Sadr was going on hunger strike until the violence stopped.

He pointed out that "there are rude militias, and the movement should not be rude," adding, "I will not interfere in any politics from now on, and I hope that no political question is asked of me."

Immediately, the joint operations lifted the curfew they had imposed on Monday evening on Baghdad and then circulated it to the rest of the provinces.

Shortly after Al-Sadr's speech, the army began dismantling the concrete blocks that had been deployed during the escalation of clashes inside the Green Zone.

On the other side of the events, the position of the leaders of the coordination framework was ambiguous, as they did not make any comment on the clashes.

On the other hand, Hadi al-Amiri, the leader of Al-Fateh, and the only Shiite leader who commented during the crisis, described Al-Sadr's initiative as "courageous and worthy of appreciation and praise."

Al-Amiri said yesterday, commenting on the initiative of the leader of the movement that it: "It came at a critical moment in which the enemies are betting on expanding the state of fighting between brothers. We strongly support what was stated in this initiative."

Al-Amiri called on everyone to “follow the example of Muqtada al-Sadr with similar steps to end bloodshed and end sedition.”

He added, "We call for the cooperation of all national forces in order to contain the effects of the crisis and move forward to get out of the political blockage, for which our honorable and patient people are paying the price."

According to leaks that reached (Al-Mada), "parties within the framework are now preparing to hold a session to pass the government, but it may witness debates about its nature."

And those leaks talk about that "what happened during a month of sit-ins may lead to a conviction to form a government in a short period of time to pave the way for early elections if the judiciary dissolves parliament."

Yesterday, the Judicial Council issued a statement, confirming that due to the imposition of the curfew, it did not consider the cases related to the dissolution of Parliament, which was scheduled for yesterday, deferring its decision until further notice.   LINK

British Report: Friends Of Iraq Are Concerned About Security Developments

Posted On2022-08-31 By Sotaliraq   Translation: Hamed Ahmed  A British report stated that the friends of Iraq were concerned about the security situation in the Green Zone, stressing that the departure of the Sadrist movement's leader Muqtada al-Sadr from the political scene plunged the country into a cycle of deadly violence.

A report by the British Arab Weekly website, translated by Al-Mada, stated that "fatal clashes erupted in Baghdad on Monday afternoon and continued for the second day on Tuesday, leaving more than 30 people dead and hundreds wounded."

The report added, "This came after the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, announced his withdrawal from the political scene, which gave an incentive for his followers to storm the presidential palace and the government headquarters and engage in clashes with rival groups who follow the coordinating framework."

He pointed out that "many people of the country said that these conditions may undermine the fragile political scene of Iraq and push the country to more dangers of civil war."

The report pointed out that "Al-Sadr, by withdrawing from the political process, gave the green light to his followers to move as they saw fit."

He stressed, "Iraq's allies from neighboring countries and other countries have expressed concern about the escalation of violence."

The report stated, "Iran closed its borders with Iraq and stopped its flights with it, while Kuwait urged its nationals present in Iraq to leave the country."

And he indicated, "The White House, for its part, said in a statement on Monday that what is happening in Iraq is a cause for concern, calling for the adoption of dialogue in order to alleviate the political problems of the country."

The report quoted "security forces as saying on Tuesday that four missiles fell on the Green Zone, causing damage to residential neighborhoods."

He stressed, "The clashes followed a day of violent incidents spurred by Al-Sadr's announcement of his intention to withdraw from all political activities, a decision he said came in response to the failure of other Shiite leaders and parties to reform a corrupt and decaying government system."

And the report added, "Al-Sadr then said that he would go on a hunger strike to protest the use of weapons by all sides."

And he added, "Eyewitnesses said that members of the Peace Brigades affiliated with Muqtada al-Sadr clashed with forces from other armed groups of the Popular Mobilization Forces, which lasted for long hours, noting that at least one soldier from the Special Forces responsible for the security of the Green Zone was killed during the clashes."

According to the report, "one of the leaders of the Saraya al-Salam forces said that a number of the Saraya forces gathered on Monday in Tahrir Square in order to protect the protesters."

He reported, "Other protests erupted in the southern governorates of Iraq, as Sadr's supporters burned tires and cut roads in Basra Governorate, while hundreds of others gathered to protest outside the Maysan Governorate building."

The report added, "Many Iraqis fear that the mobilization of the two sides of the conflict from the Shiite parties may lead the country to a new civil war."

The report quotes, "Kadhim Haitham, one of the demonstrators of the Sadr movement, as saying: Iran's followers came and burned the tents of Sadr's followers and attacked the protesters."

He went on to state that "the main catalyst behind al-Sadr's announcement is a reaction to the retirement of religious authority Kazem al-Hairi, who many of al-Sadr's supporters follow."

The report added, "Al-Haeri, in a surprising statement on Sunday, said that he would retire from the religious authority for health reasons and called on his followers to pledge allegiance to the Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei instead of the center of the seminary in Najaf."

He continues, "This move was shocking to Al-Sadr, whom Al-Haeri gave the legitimacy to represent him in Iraq. Al-Sadr said in a tweet that Al-Haeri's resignation did not come by itself.

The report stressed, "Al-Sadr had called on his followers, during a televised speech on Tuesday evening, to withdraw from the government headquarters, which witnessed a heavy firefight with security forces in a dangerous escalation after a months-long political crisis that paralyzed the country."

And he added, "Al-Sadr gave his followers one hour to withdraw, and live television scenes, minutes after his speech, showed his followers abandoning their positions."

And the report went on, that «the Iraqi army announced an end to the ban, which gave more hope that there might be an end to the situation of violence in the street».    About: Arab Weekly LINK

If Chaos Continues” .. Al-Kazemi Will Take A “Moral And Patriotic” Step

Posted On2022-08-31 By Sotaliraq   Part of the confrontations in Baghdad    The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, confirmed, on Tuesday, that "the pure Iraqi blood that fell yesterday, sends a warning to every honest and authentic Iraqi, that today we must face the bitter facts."

In a speech to the Iraqis, he said, "I am speaking to you today, and I am pained by the state to which the political conflict has brought us."

Al-Kazemi warned that, "If chaos, conflict and rivalry continue, I will take my moral and patriotic steps, and I will announce the vacancy of the prime minister's position at the appropriate time and according to Article 81 of the Iraqi constitution, and hold them accountable before the Iraqis and before history."

He thanked the security forces, "who were wanted to be a party to the conflict (uncontrolled weapons) with (uncontrolled weapons), so they refused to align themselves with the homeland, and refuse to place the barrel of guns in front of the Iraqis' chests, no matter how irritated they are."

If chaos continues” .. Al-Kazemi will take a “moral and patriotic” step

Al-Kazemi said in his speech, "For more than two years, we have been adopting a policy of restricting weapons to the hands of the state, despite all the accusations, appeals and missiles directed at us."

And he stressed, "the necessity of putting arms under the authority of the state, in fact, and not as a slogan and claim."

And the Iraqi prime minister confirmed his words, "We have formed an investigation committee to determine those responsible for placing weapons in the hands of those who opened fire on the demonstrators."

This shameful reality requires an honest and frank stance to confront and confront it," he said.

He added, "Enough of the duplicity of the state and the non-state."    LINK

Khazali: We Had The Worst Night Since 2003, And If Everyone Returned To Their Religious Reference, What Happened Would Not Have Happened

Posted On2022-08-31 By Sotaliraq   On Tuesday, the Secretary-General of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Qais al-Khazali, described the storming of the government palace and armed clashes between Saraya al-Salam and the security forces on Monday as the "worst night" since 2003.

Khazali said in a speech, "Yesterday night and today is the worst night that we have had since 2003. We have reached the stage of threatening the state."

He added, "What happened is the spread of armed groups in most of the central and southern governorates. These groups used various types of weapons and terrified the citizens, and some of these groups surrounded the oil fields in the provinces of Basra and Nasiriyah, which is considered an economic threat."

Al-Khazali continued, "Otherwise, there was a threat to the visitors of Imam Hussein, peace be upon him, and as a result a threat to the status of the holy Husseini rites, and if the situation continued, it might have affected the Arbaeen pilgrimage."

Khazali said, "It is necessary to abide by the orders of the reference, because it is the most knowledgeable and the most discerning, and if every person took what the reference ordered, what happened yesterday would not have happened."

He pointed out that "the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, did not play his role in maintaining security and stability," calling for "the need to hold accountable all those who violated the law and people whose faces were exposed who fired at the security forces."

He believed that "the situation we are going through is very bad. Parliament is suspended and the government is down," stressing "the reconvening of Parliament and the formation of a government in accordance with constitutional contexts.  LINK

Washington Welcomes Al-Sadr's Decision: Challenges Can Only Be Resolved Through Serious Dialogue

Posted On2022-08-31 By Sotaliraq   On Tuesday, the US ambassador to Iraq, Elena Romanovsky, welcomed the recent decision of the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, in which he called for an end to armed conflicts and the withdrawal of demonstrators from the Green Zone.

The United States welcomes recent calls for protesters to immediately end the conflict and withdraw from government institutions, and we are encouraged by reports that sit-in participants are beginning to disperse,” Ambassador Romanovsky said in a tweet.

She added, "Washington urges all citizens to allow the Iraqi government institutions to continue their work to support Iraq's security, stability and sovereignty. The urgent challenges facing Iraq can only be resolved through serious dialogue. Now is the time.”

The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, directed his supporters to withdraw completely from the Green Zone in the center of the capital, Baghdad, and end the "Ashura revolution" within a period of one hour, strongly criticizing the armed clash that took place between his supporters and the security forces, saying that "the killer and the victim are in the fire."

Al-Sadr said in a press conference held this afternoon at his residence in Al-Hanana in Najaf governorate, that “regardless of who started the strife yesterday, I walk with my head bowed, and I apologize to the Iraqi people who are the only affected by what is happening, the killer and the killed are in the fire.”

Immediately after the conference ended, the Sadrist movement's supporters rushed to withdraw collectively from the Green Zone, which turned into a direct battlefield over the past night and this day, until the movement's leader's conference began, which halted the state of direct confrontation.   LINK