Sunday, September 03, 2006
PM al-Maliki meets with al-Sistani
Politics
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has travelled to Najaf to meet with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most influential Shia cleric. Security issues will be discussed following al-Sistani's office quoting a warning from the cleric that 'other groups' will take security into their own hands if it is not brought under control.
COMMENT: This is highly significant as to-date Sistani has demanded that the Shias do not respond to attacks with violence. Although some Shia militias have broken Sistani's previously issued fatwa on not resorting to violence, the majority of Shias have complied with his edict. If al-Maliki is unable to come to an agreement with Sistani, or to control the security situation (unlikely) then Sistani is likely to give his blessing to Iranian backed Shia militias to fight back (which they are doing already - both against Sunnis and amongst themselves) and the sectarian violence will escalate. Noteworthy is that the Sunni-led Mujahedin Shura Council called on Sunni Muslims to fight Shias in an August 31 Internet statement, Reuters reported. COMMENT ENDS.
