News & Events
QUOTE: Haidar al-Abadi seen as steady, if uninspiring, leader for Iraq
By Borzou Daragahi, August 11, 2014
THE FINANCIAL TIMES: “Haidar has been in parliament for many years now, where he has established positive relations with almost everyone, which bodes well for his ability to form a government,” said Zaid al-Ali, a former UN adviser to Iraq and author of “The Struggle for Iraq’s Future”.
In addition to the goodwill of Shia blocs long opposed to Mr Maliki, Mr Abadi also has the blessing of the UN and the US, who have urged the premier to step aside in recent weeks.
But doubts about the prime minister-designate persist. During his years as a parliamentarian, he was largely seen as a conveyor of more powerful men’s ideas rather than as an original thinker.