Supreme Shiite authority’s strategy to lead Iraq out of crisis

The latest statement issued by Iraq’s supreme Shiite authority, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hosseini Sistani, on the current developments in Iraq is undoubtedly an indicator of his intelligent and comprehensive monitoring of the situation in the country. The grand ayatollah’s efforts are intended to put a real end to the current crisis engulfing the country.

The act of issuing such a statement by Ayatollah Sistani in a situation in which Iraq’s regional and trans-regional foes have been using their maximum energy to abuse the legitimate demands of the protestors to create insecurity and destabilize the country can in fact help realize the people’s real demands through peaceful means free from any form of violence. 

In fact, the propagandistic, security and political plots orchestrated by the U.S., Israel and Saudi Arabia have been aimed at perpetuating political crisis and security problems in Baghdad and other cities. In this way, they want to push the country toward violence and insecurity so that the real demands of Iraqis are put into oblivion.
     
Now, after weeks of unrest in which the situation in has been getting better and Iraq’s officials have decided to take practical steps to put an end to the people’s problems, the U.S., in a provocative and meddlesome statement issued on Sunday, accused Iran and the Iraqi government of being the root causes of the riots in the country in order to block any pathway to calm the situation and then put the Iraqi president under pressure to announce early elections.       

A review of the main cores of Ayatollah Sistani’s latest statement testifies the depth and comprehensiveness of his strategies which are based on meeting the people’s will and demands:

*Recognizing Iraqis’ rights to hold peaceful demonstrations; 
*Commemorating recent incidents’ victims across Iraq;
*Necessity of identifying, arresting and putting on trial those who murdered Iraqi protestors;
*Materialization of social justice and laying emphasis on the government’s unique opportunity to respond to popular requests, putting an end to corruption and countering parties’ growing feel of seeking more political power-sharing; 
*Driving a wedge between real protestors and rioters, 
*Keeping vigilance against the enemies’ abuse of current situation in Iraq;
*Respecting Iraqi security and military forces’ rights in protests as they are still engaged in war on Daesh terrorists and are defending people, the country and sacred values of Iraq.   

* Author: Mohammad Ghaderi , Tehran Times editor in chief