• Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim calls on the demonstrators to avoid any escalating step that may undermine their peace

    2013/ 02 /14 

    Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim calls on the demonstrators to avoid any escalating step that may undermine their peace

    Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), has called on the demonstrating residents of the western region and northern Baghdad to avoid any escalating step that may undermine their demonstrations’ peaceful and right nature. He also called on them not to abuse anyone or deal in verbal abuses of the genuine Arab and Islamic trait which they have and not give room to the extremists to push matters outside the legitimate demands.
    His Eminence also expressed his thanks and appreciation of the moderate voices of the theologians, politicians and tribal sheikhs of the western and northern region in bearing their patriotic responsibility to prevent the occurrence of any stances and sensitivities which the country can do without. The head of the Supreme Council praised in his speech, which he delivered during the cultural from No 308 at his Baghdad office on Wednesday, February 13, 2013, the protests and marches which expressed their peaceful nature and the demands most of which have been legal and constitutional. Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim explained that he felt happy and at ease with this situation “which has spared all of us the security repercussions and the fanaticisms which we do not hope for, nor do they wish for in their stances.” He also called on the protesting masses to exert more stances that express unity and rejection of sectarianism and violence, stressing the necessity of utmost benefitting from the support of the religious Marji`iyya (highest religious authority) represented by Sayyid al-Sistani and the other great authorities (may their expanded shade perpetuate) in addition to the public and political support which they have earned in stressing keenness about the homeland, its unity and cohesion. Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim also expressed his appreciation of the government’s role which is represented by the special committee following up the addressing of the demonstrators’ demands, in its achievement of many dossiers which the protesters in the western and northern areas of Baghdad are demanding. He, at the same time, stressed that the government should clearly and transparently announce with names and numbers the dossiers which have been reviewed in order to prevent the extremists and skeptics and to remove the ambiguity, to explain what the government is doing: its measures in serving the homeland and the citizen. His Eminence also expressed his support and backing for all legitimate and legal demands which the citizens are calling for in all parts of the country, from its north to its south, declaring his adopting and supporting them as well as supporting any constitutional right for all Iraqis in all their sects, ethnicities and religions.
     Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim expressed his hope that the demonstrators and protesters should express their thanks and appreciation as well as recognition of all the steps which the government undertakes through the specialized committees no matter how small and insufficient they may be because this can encourage the government to move on to more sound steps that achieve anticipated demands.

     Federal Service Council: an important and precious opportunity

    The head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq has regarded the forming of the Federal Service Council, which has been legislated by the parliament, as a step in the right direction, expressing his thanks and appreciation of this decision which will put an end to the wrong norms of behavior which the country has lived during the past ten years, stressing the importance that the members of parliament must be sincere, qualified and not linked to parties, and they must be independent persons. At the same time, he warned that if choosing members of the parliament is subjected to the quota or partisanship system, it will cause the country to fall into another pitfall and will deepen the problems from which the country is suffering, in the inequality of opportunities and in the difficulty of getting jobs, regarding the Federal Service Council, if it is managed by a professional, specialized and apolitical team, will be the basis for sound steps that let all citizens feel the equality of opportunities.

    Emphasizing dangers of delaying the ratification of the general budget

    Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim also emphasized the dangers of delaying the ratification of the general budget to the public, calling for not using it as a mass punishment while, at the same time, appreciating the representatives of the blocs and political parties for their keenness about preferring the public interests over the special ones. He called for determining the agreed on clauses in the budget and moving on to the other clauses so the budget may be released and so the discussion would continue about the points of contention in order to avoid missing the chance to serve the citizens at the right time.

     Students and retirees grant

    His Eminence sounded his concern about the delay in the students’ grant and not awarding it to the students who deserve it. He pointed out to his reservation on the principle of connecting it to the oil surplus, calling on not thus pressuring the students while, at the same time, hoping that such funds must be connected to the officials’ privileges and to others.
    He also stressed that the grant, which the government has decided, should be for the retirees in general since it is a single time grant and not to open discussions about it and about those who is entitled to it in order to restore the smile for the retirees who have expressed disappointment and bitterness when it was placed on the autopsy table, hoping the decision about the 100,000 dinar grant be restored for every retiree without entering into so many details.

     On the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran

    Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim explained that the massive million-man marches which moved in various Iranian governorates on the 34th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran reveal that the revolution in Iran is still alive and pulsating in the consciences of the Iranian people after the passage of more than three decades. He regarded the secret of the success of this revolution as lying in the availability of three elements: The first is the Divine Leadership which was represented by imam Khomeini, the great religious authority, and after him by imam Khamenie. The second is the nation which is harmonious with and obedient to its leadership. The third is the clear plan. He pointed out that these three elements score achievements, progress and victories despite all the sanctions and pressures to which the Islamic Republic is exposed.
    His Eminence also pointed out that the lesson which we notice in the Islamic Republic is how the status of defiance, as a result of the sanctions, pressures, accumulation of enemies and fierceness of foes, was turned by the Iranians into a true opportunity to turn Iran into a nuclear state, into a great scientific and technological development and into domestic cohesion despite many large ethnicities in Iran, and into the economic progress despite the serious sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic.
    In the subject of the nuclear dossier, Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim pointed out that the nuclear dossier, that Iran having peaceful nuclear energy, has become a label in this phase for pressuring the Islamic Republic of Iran and for more sanctions against the Muslim nation of Iran, pointing out that all of this goes on under the label of concern about turning this peaceful nuclear energy into a military energy and effort. He explained that solving the nuclear dossier is not done through pressures and the policies of sanctions and depriving this state or that, that the best way is direct dialogue for the United Nations and world community with these countries distantly from dictates and advance conditions, and on the principle of recognizing the nations’ right to own peaceful nuclear energy, regarding this as an opportunity for the world community to stop employing the policies of double standards and to implement the international resolutions, including clearing the Middle East region of nuclear weapons and applying such policies to everyone without any exception. He pointed out that Israel owns the largest nuclear arsenal in the region, yet nobody talks about or pressures it. Moreover, Israel never signed any treaty or international agreement (in this regard). 

    Development of events in Syria stresses that there is no solution without a dialogue

    Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim regarded the development of events in Syria as stressing the importance of dialogue among everyone, explaining that there are moderate and important personalities from the Syrian opposition that have taken the initiative to accept the subject of dialogue, drawing attention to this placing the Syrian government before a precious opportunity which it must invest, and that there is no way to solve problems except through sincere dialogue and the addressing of the nations’ legitimate demands which strengthens security and stability, and this will unite the position towards the extremist and terrorist forces that do not want any good for Syria or for the entire nations of the region.