Joe Biden encourages ‘National Dialogue’ in Iraq

ByNews Desk- The Cradle

The US President voiced his support for a "independent and sovereign" Iraq

Mustafa Al-Kazemi and Joe Biden in a meeting in 2021. (Photo credit: AP/S. Walsh)

After speaking with Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, US President Joe Biden urged Iraqi authorities and political leaders to develop a shared course of action in harmony with the constitution and Iraqi laws.

Washington also denied rumors of the US embassy in Baghdad being evacuated. “Reports of an Embassy evacuation are false. Ensuring the safety of US government personnel, US citizens, and the security of our facilities remains our highest priority,” a White House official stated. 

In a statement published by the White House, Biden’s administration pledged its full backing of Prime Minister al-Kadhimi’s initiative for a national dialogue to defuse tensions in the country.

Iran, Iraq’s neighbor, and a leading state in the region, also called for talks and negotiations to resolve the impasses. “Security and stability in Iraq can only be established through talks,” said Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi after receiving Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Iran.

After the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, declared his most recent “retirement” from politics, violent altercations broke out in the Iraqi capital on Monday, 29 August, resulting in 30 dead and 380 injured. 

Clashes between Al-Sadr’s supporters and Iraqi security forces subsided Monday night but resumed again on Tuesday morning.

Witnesses reported the use of automatic weapons and RPGs throughout the area of the high-security Green Zone in Baghdad, which houses government buildings and diplomatic missions.

The political crisis developed after a political deadlock, which emerged from the October 2021 elections.

Despite winning 73 out of the 329 available seats in the Iraqi parliament, Al-Sadr’s movement was unable to form a coalition, leading to the resignation of all 73 MPs.

Recently, Iraq’s President, Barham Salih, suggested a revision of the constitution and called for early elections to overcome the current crisis. 

“We have to admit that the political system and constitutional institutions have failed to avoid what happened, and we are in need of serious reforms to address weakness points,” he said in a televised statement.