Former Iraqi Parliament Speakers call for comprehensive national dialogue amid regional changes
The statement stressed the need to conduct "forthright and serious dialogue" before proceeding with any political changes in Iraq.
Dec. 14, 2024
Erbil (Kurdistan24) - Five leading Iraqi politicians, including current Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani and four former speakers, along with a former Deputy Prime Minister, issued a joint statement about recent developments in Syria and their repercussions for Iraq.
The statement stressed the need to conduct "forthright and serious dialogue" before proceeding with any political changes in Iraq.
The statement, signed by Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani (current Parliament Speaker), Osama al-Nujaifi (former Speaker), Dr. Saleh al-Mutlaq (former Deputy Prime Minister), Ayad al-Samarrai (former Speaker), Salim al-Jabouri (former Speaker), and Hajim al-Hassani (former National Assembly Speaker), highlighted that the Syrian political transformation and Assad's demise have had noteworthy regional bearings, triggering many countries, including the United States and its allies, to reconsider their policies in the region.
The signatories of the statement observed that Iraq, being at the heart of these events, stands facing major challenges as external forces try to push for changes that may not benefit its people.
They cautioned against miscalculating security challenges that could cause further division and weakening of the Iraqi government.
The statement requested for a full national dialogue to tackle widespread grievances among the Iraqi people, noting that though these issues have been recurrently known, there has been a lack of sincere political will to deal with them.
The signatories underlined the necessity to address deep-seated issues such as widespread corruption in government institutions, legislative system misrepresentations, prison injustices, and economic problems.
They also emphasized the significance of upholding Iraq's independence and building strong relationships with neighboring countries, free from external influences.
In this context, they argued for the solidification of political and economic ties with neighboring countries in ways that they thought is in Iraq's interests.
The statement concluded by stating that national dialogue is the sole solution for restructuring Iraq's political and economic situation, while also adding that any efforts to use terrorism to undermine reforms would fail, as terrorism in Iraq has lost its popular support base.