Iraqi leaders try to break crisis, promise reforms

Iraqi Pri-me Minister Haider al-Aba-di and other political leaders promised on Sunday to deliver on radical reforms and stem a deepening crisis as protesters held an unprecedented sit-in inside Baghdad’s heavilyfortified government district.

Iraq has endured months of wrangling prompted by Mr Abadi’s attempt to replace party-affiliated ministers with technocrats as part of an anti-corruption drive. A divided Parliament has failed to approve the proposal amid scuffles and protests.

Deep frustration among Iraqis over the deadlock culminated in a dramatic breach on Saturday of the Green Zone by supporters of powerful Shia Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

Sadr wants to see Mr Abadi’s proposed technocrat government approved, ending a quota system that its opponents say has encouraged corruption.

Powerful parties have resisted, fearing the dismantling of patronage networks that have sustained the political elite’s wealth and influence for more than a decade.

Mr Abadi has warned continued turmoil could hamper the war against ISIS, which controls vast swat-hes of northern and western Iraq. He convened a high-level meeting on Sun-day with Iraq’s President, Parliament Speaker and political bloc leaders. For-mer Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who heads the Dawa Party, and representatives of Sadr were not there.

In a statement from the presidential residence published after the meeting, the leaders said meetings would continue incoming days “to ensure radical reforms of the politicalprocess.” They also called the breach of the Green Zone “a dangerous infringement of the state’s prestige and a blatant constitutional violation that must be prosecuted.”

The Green Zone, a 10-square-kilometre district on the banks of the Tigris River which also houses many foreign embassies, has been off-limits to most Iraqis since the US-led invasionin 2003. Its breach is unprecedented.

Hundreds of people pull-ed down and stormed over concrete blast walls, celebrating inside Parliament and attacking several depu-ties. After nightfall, they moved to Grand Festivities Square as security reinforcements arrived from the Army, the police and Sadr’s militia.

Meanwhile, Mr Abadi “directed the interior minister to pursue the elements who attacked the security forces and citizens and members of Parliament and vandalised state properties and to refer them to the judiciary to receive their just punishment,” a statement said.