• Statements
• 18 Thul Qa’adah 1424

English translation of the Arabic “Press Release” issued by the press office of His Eminence Ayatullah Seestani (long may he live) regarding Mr. Adnan Al-Pachachi’s meeting with His Eminence

English translation of the Arabic “Press Release” issued by the press office of His Eminence Ayatullah Seestani (long may he live) regarding Mr. Adnan Al-Pachachi’s meeting with His Eminence:

In The Name of Allah, The Merciful, The Most Merciful

His Eminence Ayatullah Seestani (long may he live) met with Mr. Adnan Al-Pachachi, the current Iraqi Governing Council President, who described the latest political developments to His Eminence. His Eminence also saw the contents of the letter that was sent to him by Mr. Kofi Anan the UN Secretary-General on the same matter.

In this meeting, His Eminence (long may he live) affirmed his position vis-à-vis the mechanism of the 15th of November accord to form a national transitional assembly, that by no way can it justly represent Iraqis; illustrating that the ideal mechanism is elections, which a number of experts confirm can be held within the coming months with an acceptable degree of credibility and transparency.

His Eminence also added that if the national transitional assembly is established, with a mechanism that does not benefit from the required credibility, neither it nor the government emanating from it will be able to perform the tasks ahead of them and stick to proposed timetable for the transition period. New problems will arise as a result of this, which will only worsen the tensions of the political and security situation.

His Eminence also emphasized that in order to maintain the credibility of the transitional law to administer the Iraqi state as well as the security accord; they must both be presented for approval to representatives of the Iraqi people in the transitional Iraqi national council. During the meeting His Eminence also touch on the need to safeguard the unity of Iraq as a country and as a nation. He also stressed the importance of enjoying the best and soundest relations with regional countries specially neighbouring Arab countries.

18 Thul Qa’adah 1424
11 January 2004