Thursday, September 14, 2006
Sunni clerics meet Talabani
Politics
(Al-Ittihad) President Jalal Talabani on September 11 met a high-ranking delegation of Sunni clerics including Sheikh Jamal al-Din al-Dabban, Sheikh Rafi al-Ani and Sheikh Jamal al-Badri. He told the clerics that Iraq badly needs cooperation between the various bodies within the country. He stressed the importance of national reconciliation to spread peace and stability and collaboration with the Shia religious leadership to stop the terrorist bloodshed.
(Al-Ittihad is published daily by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.)
COMMENT: The Sunni clerics wield a lot of power and both they and their followers are often linked to dissident forces. They also wield power within the tribes, who are one of the keys to taking steps towards stability. If they would come to the political table and start negotiations it could be condusive to national reconciliation. COMMENT ENDS.
