Iraq problems must be resolved without any foreign intervention: Hakim

Senior Iraqi religious scholar and political leader Ammar al-Hakim says problems in the crisis-stricken country must be resolved without any foreign intervention, and that solutions to such troubles must be “indigenous and homegrown.”

According to reports, speaking in a meeting with US Ambassador to Baghdad Matthew Tueller on Thursday, Hakim stressed “the need for purely Iraqi solutions to all crises of the country away from any foreign interference.”

The religious scholar added that the National Wisdom Movement – the opposition political coalition which he leads – is “following on and monitoring the reform steps taken by the government to ensure that the demands of protesters are met.”

Hakim further underlined that peaceful demonstrators must be protected and a safe atmosphere must be provided for them to exercise their constitutional right, adding that those responsible for protester deaths must also be held to account.

Tueller, for his part, claimed that Washington respects the will of the Iraqis and their ability to solve their domestic problems.

The US ambassador also hailed Iraq's highest religious authority Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Sistani for his emphasis on the non-interference of other states in the West Asian country’s domestic affairs.

In a statement read out by his representative Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalaei during a sermon in the holy city of Karbala on November 1, Grand Ayatollah Sistani supported the demands of the protesters in the country and warned that no foreign player must impose their will on the Iraqi protesters.

SS