Sistani: Iraq leaders must not cling to power
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's top cleric, has called on political leaders to refrain from clinging to their posts, in an apparent reference to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has defied demands that he step aside. Speaking through an aide who delivered a sermon after Friday prayers in the holy city of Kerbala, Sistani said […]Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's top cleric, has called on political leaders to refrain from clinging to their posts, in an apparent reference to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has defied demands that he step aside.
Speaking through an aide who delivered a sermon after Friday prayers in the holy city of Kerbala, Sistani said leaders should show flexibility so that political deadlocks can be broken and Iraq can confront dangers and terrorism. Last month, Sunni fighters from the Islamic State staged a stunning sweep through northern and western Iraq, posing the biggest challenge to Maliki's Shia-led government since the departure of US forces in 2011.
