Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Some Arab governments feel al-Maliki has been too tolerant of Shia militias
Politics, Region, Security
From the perspective of Arab governments, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has been too tolerant of Shiite militias and unable to control his war-ravaged country, Arab officials said. "Most Sunni Muslim Arab countries believe that Maliki (a Shiite) and members of his government are tolerant of, and even connive with, Shiite militias, especially the Mehdi Army" of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, one official who declined to be identified told AFP in a telephone interview Wednesday.
Arab intelligence reports implicate Maliki government members in the activities of the Mehdi Army and the Badr Brigade, the former armed wing of the powerful Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, another non-Jordanian official said. "The Maliki government is ignoring the security violations of these militias," the official said, hours before Jordan's King Abdullah II was due to host a crucial summit between Maliki and US President George W. Bush in Amman.
The king, speaking on behalf of moderate Arab governments and allies of Washington, will tell Bush that the Iraqi crisis "cannot be solved as long the Iraqi government remains tolerant of the militias", a Jordanian official said. The monarch has held a series of meetings with Iraqi Sunni and Shiite political and religious leaders in the run-up to his talks with Bush and Maliki, to explore ways of containing the violence in Iraq.
According to the Jordanian official, the Sunni-led Arab countries are also concerned by Shiite "Iran's growing influence in Iraq and the lack of independent Iraqi security institutions". The Arab countries also believe that Iran "is spending a lot of money to push Sunni Muslims to convert to Shiism", the official said, adding this phenomenon has been seen even in Sunni-dominated Jordan.
Arab intelligence reports implicate Maliki government members in the activities of the Mehdi Army and the Badr Brigade, the former armed wing of the powerful Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, another non-Jordanian official said. "The Maliki government is ignoring the security violations of these militias," the official said, hours before Jordan's King Abdullah II was due to host a crucial summit between Maliki and US President George W. Bush in Amman.
The king, speaking on behalf of moderate Arab governments and allies of Washington, will tell Bush that the Iraqi crisis "cannot be solved as long the Iraqi government remains tolerant of the militias", a Jordanian official said. The monarch has held a series of meetings with Iraqi Sunni and Shiite political and religious leaders in the run-up to his talks with Bush and Maliki, to explore ways of containing the violence in Iraq.
According to the Jordanian official, the Sunni-led Arab countries are also concerned by Shiite "Iran's growing influence in Iraq and the lack of independent Iraqi security institutions". The Arab countries also believe that Iran "is spending a lot of money to push Sunni Muslims to convert to Shiism", the official said, adding this phenomenon has been seen even in Sunni-dominated Jordan.
