International calls to stop violent clashes in Iraq

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, urged all the parties and actors in Iraq “to rise above their differences and to engage, without further delay, in a peaceful and inclusive dialogue on a constructive way forward.” Turkiye, France, and the EU called for self-discipline.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed its concern over the spread of violence across Iraq, considering the developments in Baghdad to pose a threat to Iraq’s stability, unity and security.

It called on all the parties in Iraq to exercise self-control and to resolve conflicts through dialogue.

On its part, the French Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying France “is gravely concerned about current events in Baghdad and several governorates which have already resulted in many casualties.”

It called on the Iraqi parties to show utmost restraint.

Head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Masoud Barzani, urged all rivalling parties in Iraq to show restraint, saying violence should not be thought of as a solution to the current crisis.

He also said everyone must be “brave enough to recognise each other’s differences and accept that the current political crisis requires a durable solution.”

Local Iraqi media outlets reported that the clashes resulted in the death of 20 inside the Green Zone in the capital city Baghdad.

The EU called on all the parties in Iraq to show the utmost levels of restraint and calm after the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, witnessed clashes and mortar rounds on Monday evening. The head of the Sadrist Movement, Muqtada Al-Sadr, went on a hunger strike until the violence stops in Iraq.

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In a statement, the EU stressed the importance of all actors avoiding any actions that might lead to more violence, stressing the need to respect all laws and preserve the integrity of institutions.

It added, “All parties should work towards de-escalating tensions and engage in political dialogue within the constitutional framework, as the only means to resolve differences.”

The Kuwaiti embassy in Baghdad urged its nationals who are in Iraq to leave, and also demanded the postponement of travel to Iraq.

The Iranian embassy in Baghdad requested, through its Twitter account, that all Iranian visitors and citizens present in the cities of the holy shrines, including Karbala Al-Mualla and Najaf Al-Ashraf, to refrain from movement and travel, especially to Baghdad, Kadhimiya and Samarra, until further notice, due to the curfew in all governorates of Iraq.

Protests escalated in the capital, Baghdad, on Monday, to bloody confrontations that resulted in deaths and injuries in the Green Zone. Demonstrators stormed the Republican Palace, the headquarters of government meetings, after Muqtada Al-Sadr, the leader of the Shia Sadrist Movement, announced his retirement from political work.