The Iranian regime’s support to so-called Shi’ite groups in Iraq is obstructing efforts to bridge the sectarian divide ahead of a parliamentary election next year, Iraqi Vice President Iyad Allawi said on Friday.
Iraqi leaders hope to restore control over all Iraqi territory, defeating Islamic State, before an election due by the middle of next year, Reuters reported.
“Iran has been interfering even in the decision (making process) of the Iraqi people,” Allawi told Reuters. “We don’t want an election based on sectarianism, we want an inclusive political process … we hope that the Iraqis would choose themselves without any involvement by any foreign power.”
Allawi, a secular Shi’ite politician who has supporters among some Sunnis, was in Cairo to meet Egyptian leaders including President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for discussions about oil and the conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Libya, the report said.
“This is the right time to have a fair election that nobody interferes in,” said Allawi.
Allawi has previously accused Tehran of blocking his bid to become prime minister in the 2010 elections, even though his group won the largest number of seats.
Source » ncr-iran