Iran calls for ‘solidarity’ among all Iraqi groups

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has stressed the need for “solidarity” among all groups and sects in Iraq, saying “unity” is the sole way to uproot terrorism in the Arab country.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran underscores once more the need for dialogue as the only solution to domestic political differences in Iraq,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said on Wednesday.

Afkham further stated that Tehran supports measures taken by Baghdad to counter terrorist groups who have sneaked into the Arab country from neighboring Syria in an attempt to target innocent Iraqi people with their “terrorist attacks.”

Such terrorist groups seek to hinder the “political process” in Iraq, “especially at a time when political movements are preparing themselves for the future parliamentary elections,” the Iranian diplomat noted.

On December 30, 2013, 44 members of the Iraqi parliament announced their resignation in protest at the dismantling of an anti-government protest camp in the city of Ramadi in the western province of Anbar, where a total of 17 people, including four security officers, were killed in fighting between gunmen and army forces.

The Iraqi premier, Nouri al-Maliki, had described the protest site as “a headquarters for the leadership of al-Qaeda,” and urged the protesters to leave the camps.

Maliki has ordered the Iraqi Army to fan out in the Anbar province to fight pro-al-Qaeda militants, saying the army is committed to hunting down the militants and armed groups in the area.