We support political solution to ongoing stalemate: Iraq’s PMU chief

The chairman of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), known in Arabic as Hashd al-Sha’abi, says the anti-terror group supports a political solution to the crisis in the Arab country.

The PMU advises all political groups to settle their differences via dialogue and interaction through legal channels, Lebanon’s Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network quoted Falih al-Fayyadh as saying during a press conference in the capital Baghdad on Monday evening.

“Hashd al-Sha’abi pledges to the Iraqi nation that it will maintain the political process through legal institutions and underlines the need to protect and preserve democratic institutions in the country,” al-Fayyadh said.

He added that all major political groups in Iraq must abide by the constitution and accept the results of the elections. 

Fayyadh also called for calm and restraint among all factions for the good of Iraq, stating that the PMU reiterates its deep commitment to a political process and transfer of power through the ballot box.

‘Weapons no solution to political crisis’

Moreover, leader of the Fatah (Conquest) Alliance in Iraq’s parliament, Hadi al-Amiri, called on people to exercise maximum self-restraint, stop using weapons, and resolve their existing problems through dialogue and negotiations.

“The use of weapons cannot resolve the ongoing crisis. There is no solution other than dialogue and understanding among our Iraqi brethren,” Amiri, who is also the head and secretary general of the Badr Organization, said.

Veteran Kurdish leader urges calm

Separately, senior Kurdish politician Masoud Barzani has called for restraint, urging all parties “not to resort to the language of weapons and violence in resolving conflicts.”

Barzani, the former president of northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and the head of the governing Kurdistan Democratic Party, also called on all sides to “think about solutions that bring good to the Iraqi people and take into consideration the general interest of the people and the country.”

The Commission of Media & Communications (CMC) in Iraq has also called on all news agencies and media outlets to “avoid broadcasting false news and rumors.”

It called on them to “ensure accuracy and not take biased positions that contradict media broadcasting laws and principles.”

The commission also stressed that “Iraqi outlets should refrain from publishing materials that incite violence and hatred, and should not draw on the discourse that would contribute to further escalation of the status quo.”

According to Iraqi medical sources, at least 30 people were killed during the clashes in Baghdad’s Green Zone.

SS