ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Sadrist Movement does not accept dialogue with the pro-Iran Coordination Framework regarding the current political tensions as the coalition no longer exists, a senior Sadrist official told Rudaw on Monday.
Tensions between the Sadrist Movement and the Coordination Framework have escalated recently following the withdrawal of the Sadrist bloc from the parliament. Thousands of supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have announced a sit-in at the parliament building following days of protests which are growing and spreading to the rest of Iraq. Supporters of the Shiite coalition also held counter-protests in the capital city of Baghdad on Monday.
Hadi al-Amiri, head of the Fatih Alliance, which is part of the Coordination Framework, called on both sides to resolve their issues through dialogue, saying “enough blood.” In return, Sadrist Movement announced three conditions to accept the initiative, including the withdrawal of Amiri from the coalition and a guarantee.
However, Ibrahim Jabiri, head of Sadr office, told Rudaw’s Rozhan Abubakir on Monday that they will not enter any dialogue with the pro-Iran coalition, claiming that it no longer exists.
“There is nothing called the [Coordination] Framework at all,” he claimed, adding that its members have had separate statements.
The Coordination Framework became the largest coalition last month after Sadrist parliamentarians resigned.
Iraq held parliamentary elections in October but the political parties have failed to elect a president and a prime minister for the country due to disagreements.
Tehran is a major player in Baghdad and has major influence over the country's politics.
Differences between Iraqi political parties have always existed in the war-torn country, an Iranian diplomat said Sunday while calling on Iraq's opposing blocs to engage in dialogue amid growing protests in Baghdad.
"We believe that Iraqi political movements and parties and organizations can work peacefully and respectfully within the country's constitution and legal mechanisms," Nasser Kanaani, spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry said in his weekly presser, adding that "internal political differences have always” existed in Iraq.
Iraqi officials, the United Nations, and the United States have expressed concerns amid rising tensions in Baghdad, urging peaceful and inclusive talks to form the government.
The Kurdistan Region’s President Nechirvan Barzani has offered to host talks between Sadr and the framework, a gesture that was welcomed by the latter.
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