Can Iraqi PM weather ongoing protests?
With an increase in the use of violence against protesters in Iraq, the call for change is also rising among internal and external actors.
Despite several proposals to solve the crises in Iraq and in spite of using different tactics such as promises and threats, the Iraqi government is unable to stop the protests and is unable to convince protesters to go home.
Special Representative for Iraq and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert met with Iraq's top Shiite authority, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, in Najaf on Nov. 11 to discuss political solutions to the ongoing protests.
Following the meeting, Hennis-Plasschaert noted that “the religious authority is concerned about the lack of seriousness among the political forces to undertake reforms.”
Sistani concurred with a UN statement issued Nov. 10 that condemned the use of live bullets against protesters and called upon the Iraqi government to show maximum restraint and undertake an investigation regarding the recent increase in abductions and arbitrary arrests. The UN statement also called on all regional and international parties to not interfere in Iraqi matters or break Iraq's sovereignty.
