UN envoy brokers dialogue between Iraqi protesters, govt

Baghdad: Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, special representative of the UN secretary-general for Iraq, visited on Wednesday Tahrir Square in Baghdad to broker dialogue between protesters and the government.

According to a statement issued by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Hennis-Plasschaert exchanged views and discussed possible ways to address the legitimate demands of peaceful demonstrators.

She "reiterated that no government could comprehensively tackle the legacy of the past and the present challenges in just one year in office," the statement said.

Hennis-Plasschaert called for a "national dialogue to identify prompt, meaningful responses, to break the vicious cycle of violence, and to unite against the perils of division and inaction," the statement added.

The UN official's visit came amid ongoing demonstration at Tahrir Square, where hundreds of demonstrators continued their gathering for the sixth successive day demanding comprehensive reform, accountability for corrupt officials, improvement of public services and job opportunities.

Earlier this month, massive protests erupted in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad and other central and southern provinces for similar reasons.

The Iraqi government has responded by presenting packages of reforms aimed at providing job opportunities, building housing complexes, paying stipends to the poor and scaling up the fight against corruption.