Iraq .. Sistani warns of "delaying the implementation of reforms"
Demonstrations in Iraq have continued since last October.
In his sermon, delivered by his representative in Karbala, Sistani stressed the need to "implement the real reforms that the Iraqi people have long called for and in order to achieve them many sacrifices."
He said that the reference "believes that procrastination and procrastination in this matter will only lead to more suffering of citizens and prolong the security and political instability in the country."
Sistani called on the political parties in the country to expedite the formation of a new government, and demanded that the authorities respect the right of the protesters to express themselves.
He said: "The religious authority confirms its principled position on the necessity of respecting the sovereignty of Iraq, the independence of its political decision, and its unity over the land and the people, and its categorical rejection of what affects these national principles from any party and under any pretext."
He added that it is the right of Iraqi citizens to "express themselves by peaceful means and demand what they find necessary to maintain national sovereignty away from external dictates."
He pointed to the need to form a new government, explaining that the formation of it "is long overdue by the constitutionally specified period, for it is necessary for the various parties concerned to cooperate to end this file ... It is an important step in the way of resolving the current crisis."
Al-Sistani called on the Iraqi parties to realize the magnitude of the risks surrounding the country "at this difficult stage, and to unite them on a unified position on the main issues and the crucial challenges facing it, taking into account the higher interest of the Iraqi people, present and future."