SHAFAQNA- Adel Abdul Mahdi’s office says he is prepared to meet representatives of protesters.
In a statement quoted by local media on Thursday, Abdul Mahdi’s office said the prime minister was “continuing contacts” with protesters in a bid to end the political crisis and “return to normal life”.
Earlier , Iraqi Prime Minister has declared a curfew in the capital, Baghdad, until further notice as protests continue against alleged economic problems .
In Baghdad, authorities imposed a round-the-clock curfew early on Thursday, saying the measure was meant to “protect general peace” and protesters from “infiltrators” who committed attacks against security forces and public property, according to aljazeera.
“Statement from the commander-in-chief of the armed forces: all vehicles and individuals are totally forbidden to move in Baghdad as of 5 am [0200 GMT] today, Thursday, and until further notice,” Abdul Mahdi said in a statement , trt world told.
Before announcing the curfew in Baghdad, the Iraqi premier held an emergency meeting with members of the National Security Council.
“The council stressed that appropriate measures should be taken to protect citizens and public and private properties,” read a statement released by Abdul-Madhi’s office on Wednesday, expressing the government’s resolve to make all efforts “to meet the legitimate demands of the demonstrators” ,press tv told.
The council further affirmed the demonstrators’ “right to protest” and “freedom of expression…, but at the same time condemns the acts of vandalism that accompanied the protests.”
In the latest development, Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the National Wisdom Movement called for an emergency meeting of parliament to discuss the demonstrations in Baghdad.
“ While we demand the preservation of security, peace and public and private property, we refuse to politicize popular protests or exploiting them in favor of any party. We emphasize constructive and positive dialogue with the protesters’ representatives, ” the statement said. “We call the government to do its duty maintaining its rights”, see.news.
In a tweet, prominent Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr also called for an investigation into the clashes.
The protests come at a time when Iraq is recovering from three years of war with the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group.