18 August 2022; MEMO: After meeting with political leaders, the leaders of three political institutions in Iraq yesterday called on followers of Shia cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr to engage in national dialogue to resolve the political deadlock, news agencies reported.
Iraqi President Barham Salih, Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi, caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and leaders of Iraqi factions met and discussed political deadlock in the country.
Al-Sadr and his followers, who have been involved in protests calling for the dissolution of the newly-elected parliament, did not attend the meeting.
A statement issued by Al-Kadhimi's office said that the participants "expressed their commitment to finding a solution to all crises through dialogue to preserve the unity of Iraq, the security and stability of its people."
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They also called for an end to all forms of field, media or political escalation and urged members of the Sadrist Movement, who have staged sit-in protests, to engage in the national dialogue.
The leaders agreed to continue the dialogue in order to draw a legal and constitutional roadmap to address the current deadlock.
Al-Kadhimi invited the rival political parties to hold a meeting to seek a solution to the political deadlock as disputes escalated in the past weeks between Al-Sadr and his rivals.
On 3 August, Al-Sadr, who withdrew his MPs from the parliament, urged his followers to continue their protests until their demands to dissolve the parliament and hold early elections are met.
