Iraq's Prime Minister called on Monday for a national dialogue to resolve the country’s outstanding issues as Pope Francis ended his historic trip.
Baghdad held a farewell ceremony at the airport for the pontiff as he concluded his four day visit to the war-torn country with messages of forgiveness, coexistence and peace.
“My brothers and dear opponents, I invite you all to a sincere, open and frank dialogue with the government on the basis of the country's interest, security and sovereignty,” Mr Al Kadhimi said.
The idea was presented as Pope Francis’ visit presented an opportunity to restore the country’s role in the world despite the challenges it faces, he said.
“The special visit, with all the manifestations of national consensus, embodied the essence of our loving, sincere, civilised people who believed in the values of justice and peace,” Mr Al Kadhimi said.
The prime minister said all components of the country are welcome to the table.
“We invite all the different political factions, youth, protesters and opponents of the government to the table to hold the dialogue,” he said.
Political factions and parties must “give priority to the interests of the homeland to prepare for the success of early elections and to give our people the opportunity to trust the state and the democratic system,” he said.
President of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Nechirvan Barzani, said he supports Mr Al Kadhimi’s initiative to resolve any disputes.
“To reach a final agreement and develop radical solutions to the problems of the Kurdistan Region with the federal Iraqi government in accordance with the constitution,” Mr Barzani said.
Pope Francis became the first pontiff to visit Iraq this week following a four-day trop that covered five provinces across the country.
At every turn, the pope urged Iraqis to embrace diversity and to unite for a better future. He called on them to work together and make peace.
More on Quran memorisation:
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Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
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How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
