NCRI – The leader of the Iraqi political bloc that won the country’s parliamentary elections in March has once again condemned the Iranian regime for meddling in Baghdad’s attempts to form the next government.
At a press conference in Syria on Wednesday, former Iraqi premier Ayad Allawi and a senior official in the Iraqiya bloc, Dr. Saleh Mutlak, issued a joint warning to the Iranian regime to stay out of Iraqi politics.
According to Aljazeera, “The two leaders of Iraqiya, Saleh Mutlak and Ayad Allawi, criticized the Iranian regime for interfering in attempts to form a government in Iraq.”
The Arab news channel added that after meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad, the two leaders stressed that they would reject any government headed by the incumbent prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Attempts to establish a new government in Iraq have failed since the March 7 elections, which gave Iraqiya 91 of the 325 seats in parliament, the most among any other bloc. Dr. Allawi insists his list bears the legal obligation to have the first opportunity to try to form the next government in Baghdad.
On Wednesday, he described the Iranian regime’s role in Iraq as negative and said while his bloc is not antagonistic towards Tehran, it vehemently rejects its interference in Baghdad’s internal affairs.
Another Arab news channel, al-Baghdadiya, reported that the former prime minister opposes foreign-prescribed solutions to Iraq’s political stalemate, stressing that attempts to build a new government should stem from Baghdad and “the will of the Iraqi people themselves.”
He said despite attempts to sideline and eliminate it, his grouping is adamant about forming the next government, calling it a legitimate right based on a popular mandate and democratic principles, which he seeks to engrain in Iraqi politics.
Allawi added, “We will not allow anyone, either friend or enemy, to interfere in Iraqi affairs. This is Iraqiya’s stance with regards to the Iranian regime.”
“Syria stands with Iraq and the Iraqi people and wants to see a united Iraq, not one that is ruled by a sectarian government,” he added.