Muqtada al-Sadr accepts President Masoud Barzani's initiative to end Iraq's political deadlock: al-Khanjar 

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Muqtada al-Sadr has accepted President Masoud Barzani's initiative to end Iraq's political deadlock, Khamis al-Khanjar, a top Sunni leader, announced following his meeting with the Shiite leader. 

On Monday, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani proposed an initiative to end the political deadlock in the country. 

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Sunni Parliament Speaker Mohammad al-Halbousi and head of the Sovereignty Coalition Khamis al-Khanjar, met with Sadr in Najaf to discuss Barzani's initiative. 

"Thanks to Sayyid al-Muqtada for accepting the initiative," al-Khanjar tweeted on Monday after the meeting. 

"The majority of the initiatives for the difficult times comes from Erbil and President Masoud Barzani," the Sunni leader added, recalling a similar initiative the KDP leader announced in 2010 to end the political stalemate that existed at that time. 

Without elaborating on the initiative's details, President Barzani said in his Monday statement that the proposal intends to resolve existing issues and provide "a suitable and good atmosphere" for Iraq's political process. 

In the 329-seat Iraqi parliament, Sadr holds 73, making him the biggest winner of the Oct. 10, 2021, elections. 

In addition to reiterating his previous stance on the "majority government", Sadr also said he would welcome dialogue with "national opposition" following his meeting with the Kurdish and Sunni leaders. 

On Feb. 7, the Iraqi parliament is set to convene to elect the country's president. Hoshyar Zebari from the KDP is competing for the position, while incumbent Iraqi President Barham Salih from the PUK is rerunning for the position.