Saleh: Al-Kathemi got the approval of all the major political forces in Iraq

Shafaq News / The President of the Iraqi Republic , Barham Ahmed Saleh confirmed on Thursday that the Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Al-Kathemi has the support of the main political forces in the country.

Saleh said in a televised speech today, "The past period was a difficult period in the history of Iraq that we had lived, coexisted, and dealt with. We faced the mass popular protests that were calling for reforms and the correction of the path in our country, and many political matters took place in this country and in the heart of the Middle East, a transfer of power and resignation of the government of Adel Abdul-Mahdi occurred and other people were assigned within known constitutional contexts and the parties, regardless of the debates and discussions, committed to these procedures.

He added, "This is an important achievement and an important appreciation. I am not in the sense of justification. We have lost a long time and the Iraqi people are waiting for us. We had to advance in forming the government in a faster time, but this is our reality. We committed to these contexts and today we are witnessing a new situation,  Mr. Adnan Al-Zorfi has apologized from his mandate to form the government and send us an official message in this regard, and today I want to thank our brother Al-Zorfi for his commitment and appreciation for the national interest and his courageous stances in these circumstances. I spoke with him a while ago and assured me of his support for the process and what secures the unity of the Iraqi class so I thank and appreciate him for this position.

Saleh added that "today we are in the process of assigning Mustafa Al-Kathemi to form the new government in Iraq, and Al-Kathemi is an educated figure who is known for his integrity and known for moderation and for his concern for the general rights of Iraqis."

He added, "This is a great responsibility that will be assigned to Al-Kathemi. We wish him all the best in this endeavor, but I also want to stand on an important fact. The last period was accompanied by controversies and sharp differences between us and the political parties."

Saleh added, "Today, with the efforts of the sincere people, the main political forces have agreed, as well as national and social forces to choose Brother Mustafa Al-Kathemi for this position. The fact that it is a witnessed day that we have passed a stage that was difficult for all of us and the political system was subjected to constant skepticism and questioning. I do not want to go into details, but the lesson is in what happened".

The President of the Republic concluded his speech by saying, " Mustafa Al-Kathemi has a difficult task. Everyone here will no doubt be helping you and you will be a help to this country. We finish this period to start with fair elections that give the Iraqi citizen the right to choose his government through honest and sincere elections. It must also works to solve the consequences of this serious health crisis that afflicts our country, as well as the financial and economic repercussions of this situation. All this is taking place and an important concept for our country, which is the preservation and strengthening of the state, a capable and sovereign state based on an Iraqi national decision. ”