Lawmaker: Iraq saved by al-Maliki's self-sacrifice

A senior Iranian lawmaker underlined that former Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki's decision to stay aside from power saved the country from plunging into further political turmoil.

"Al-Maliki stepped down from power through self-sacrifice to help Iraq go past the stage of political crisis," member of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Ahmad Shohani said on Saturday.
He reiterated that formation of a national unity government is crucial for Iraq, and said, "The terrorist groups, specially the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), are currently making advances in Iraq; hence, unity among political groups can prevent the movements of these groups."
Al-Maliki withdrew his nomination for a third term in office, and backed the nomination of al-Abadi for the post of prime minister.
Al-Maliki made his decision after a meeting with al-Abadi mediated by the country's Vice-President Khudhair al-Khuzaie and former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari, who is also a leading figure in the powerful Iraqi National Alliance, a major Shiite bloc.