According to the Arab-language daily Asharq al-Awsat, Dr. Saleh Mutlak, said, “There are some who are influenced by foreigners and want to implement non-Iraqi designs by establishing a political system on the basis of the Iranian regime’s agenda in order to obstruct our path towards our legitimate election rights.”
In his interview with Asharq al-Awsat, Dr. Mutlak underscored al-Iraqiya’s unity and said the list is “one of the most united and powerful” coalitions.
“Other coalitions that were described as united have been weakened and are fraught with divisions, while we have become more united and stronger,” Dr. Mutlak said.
“The source of our coalition’s power is our nationalistic program, which calls for change and putting aside sectarianism. It seeks a united Iraq based on the rule of law, democracy, and respect for the rights of citizens.”
Dr. Mutlak added, “The people of Iraq elected this coalition and its members because of its nationalistic platform.”
In response to a question about a splinter in al-Iraqiya, Dr. Mutlak said, “These reports are false. Of course, there are many attempts to destroy our coalition through enticements or dissemination of false or fabricated reports. But, the leaders and members of al-Iraqiya have adopted a final decision to proceed on the path of change. The source of our power is in our solidarity and unity. No one among us will risk defeat for our national platform or the prospect of change. If they do, they would be traitors.”
The leader of the National Dialogue Front in Iraq also said, “If we wanted to occupy posts for the sake of obtaining power, then we could have easily done that in the past. If we had accepted to participate in groupings on the basis of religious lines, then we would have had been in the midst of the Shiite Sunni divide once again. But, we condemned this approach strongly because it breaks up the country.”
Dr. Mutlak added, “Our decisions are adopted collectively. With the trust we have received from Iraqi voters, we will be in a position to implement our platform on the basis of this popular mandate through the prime minister’s office. Otherwise, then I would think that boycotting the political order would be a better option for us.”