The Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr called on his followers on Saturday to step-up their demands for the government to implement reform by setting up tents in front of Baghdad's Green Zone and staging a sit-in until their demands are met. Sadr issued a statement saying he wants the sit-in to commence next Friday. "I make a historical call to every honest, reform-loving Iraqi to rise up and start a new phase in the peace popular protest," his statement said according to AFP. "Get ready and organize yourselves to establish sit-in tents," he added, "This is your time to root out corruption and the corrupt." He wants the protests to remain in this sit-in encampment until the 45-day ultimatum he gave the incumbent government to reform expires in 10 days time. Sadr had previously threatened to storm the Green Zone if his demands were not met. The Green Zone is home to the office of Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, the Iraqi parliament and the United States embassy. Abadi is currently seeking to replace several ministerial positions with technocrats, a move that many believe will be a solid step towards reform a system which is widely seen as corrupt and ineffective.
