Shafaq News/ An senior Iraqi Shiite cleric on Sunday urged the "wise man" of Iraq to "reconcile" the rival parties in the country in order to lay down the foundations of a comprehensive approach to reform.

In a statement he issued earlier today, Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi al-Modarresi called on "the wise men of Iraq, scholars, tribal Sheikhs, honest politicians to join hands to reconcile [rival parties] and prevent bloodshed in Muharram."

In the Islamic creed, warfare is forbidden in Muharram; the first month in the Islamic calendar. 

"Reconciliation does not mean keeping everything as it is, corrupt or uncorrupt; it rather means working to provide a proper environment to mend all forms of corruption in the country," the cleric revered as Marjaa', a religious authority, added.

Al-Modarresi appealed to the "wise men in the country" to "crystallize a roadmap" to help Iraq rise and achieve "independence, freedom, progress, and dignity."