Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Fadhila party pulls out of United Iraqi Alliance
Politics
(AFP) Iraq’s Fadhila Party pulled its 15 lawmakers out of the main Shia parliamentary bloc on Wednesday, accusing its allies of sectarianism and calling for leaders to work together for peace. Announcing its decision in a statement, the Shia Islamist group said the division of Iraq’s parties into opposing blocs based on religion had worsened relations between Sunnis and Shias.
‘The first step on the course of Iraq’s salvation is through disbanding these blocs and stopping the formation of sectarian-based blocs, as it has led to the division of the Iraqi people,’ said Fadhila deputy Nadeem Jabari. ‘Fadhila is leaving the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) and will continue to operate in parliament as an independent party,’ he added, reading the statement.
The exclusively Shia UIA is the biggest single bloc in Iraq’s parliament and, until Fadhila’s decision, controlled 128 votes in the 275-seat chamber. In addition to Prime Minster Nuri Al Maliki’s Dawa Party, it also represents MPs loyal to the radical clerics Moqtada Al Sadr and Abdel Aziz Hakim, who leads the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI).
‘The first step on the course of Iraq’s salvation is through disbanding these blocs and stopping the formation of sectarian-based blocs, as it has led to the division of the Iraqi people,’ said Fadhila deputy Nadeem Jabari. ‘Fadhila is leaving the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) and will continue to operate in parliament as an independent party,’ he added, reading the statement.
The exclusively Shia UIA is the biggest single bloc in Iraq’s parliament and, until Fadhila’s decision, controlled 128 votes in the 275-seat chamber. In addition to Prime Minster Nuri Al Maliki’s Dawa Party, it also represents MPs loyal to the radical clerics Moqtada Al Sadr and Abdel Aziz Hakim, who leads the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI).
Labels: Fadhela party, Nadeem Jabari, United Iraqi Alliance
