Saturday, March 10, 2007
Iraq's Shiite clerics criticise the Arab League
Security, International, Politics
(AINA) Shiite Muslim clerics displayed growing impatience on Friday with the government's failure to stop attacks by Sunni Arab insurgents and lashed out at Sunni Arab states, who blame Iraq's Shiite-led government for sectarian divisions. On the eve of a regional meeting to discuss Iraq's security problems, clerics said the Arab League, a bloc of mainly Sunni Arab states which will attend the meeting, were infringing on Iraq's sovereignty by suggesting that constitutional reforms were needed to give non-Shiites a greater share of power.
The meeting Saturday is sure to highlight tangled loyalties, resentments and suspicions in the region, as it brings together long-time adversaries, including the U.S., Iran, and Syria, as well as representatives of the U.N. Security Council and Iraq's neighbors. The U.S. accuses Iran of providing lethal explosives to Shiite militias fighting U.S. forces in Iraq, and it says Syria has left its border with Iraq purposely unguarded to permit the flow of anti-U.S. insurgents. Iran and Syria deny the accusations. Iran, meanwhile, is at odds with the United Nations over its nuclear enrichment program.
Arab League states such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt say Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki is to blame for much of his country's strife and have vowed to use the meeting to press for changes in the government and constitution. "They should know that they must stay out of the Iraqi business," said Sayyed Ahmed Safi, addressing millions of Shiite pilgrims gathered for a religious festival in the city of Karbala. Safi, the representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, also condemned the slaughter of nearly 200 pilgrims slain by suspected Sunni insurgents as they marched toward Karbala earlier in the week and said it showed the weaknesses of the latest U.S.-Iraqi security plan.
"The security plan needs solidarity and, if possible, all the grass roots should be recruited to make it succeed, as it is the only way to bring stability back," he said, in an apparent reference to Shiite militiamen led by anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada Sadr.
The meeting Saturday is sure to highlight tangled loyalties, resentments and suspicions in the region, as it brings together long-time adversaries, including the U.S., Iran, and Syria, as well as representatives of the U.N. Security Council and Iraq's neighbors. The U.S. accuses Iran of providing lethal explosives to Shiite militias fighting U.S. forces in Iraq, and it says Syria has left its border with Iraq purposely unguarded to permit the flow of anti-U.S. insurgents. Iran and Syria deny the accusations. Iran, meanwhile, is at odds with the United Nations over its nuclear enrichment program.
Arab League states such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt say Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki is to blame for much of his country's strife and have vowed to use the meeting to press for changes in the government and constitution. "They should know that they must stay out of the Iraqi business," said Sayyed Ahmed Safi, addressing millions of Shiite pilgrims gathered for a religious festival in the city of Karbala. Safi, the representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, also condemned the slaughter of nearly 200 pilgrims slain by suspected Sunni insurgents as they marched toward Karbala earlier in the week and said it showed the weaknesses of the latest U.S.-Iraqi security plan.
"The security plan needs solidarity and, if possible, all the grass roots should be recruited to make it succeed, as it is the only way to bring stability back," he said, in an apparent reference to Shiite militiamen led by anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada Sadr.
Even if the talks are tense, analysts say it is unlikely the meeting will end in rancor because of the attendees' shared desire for stability in Iraq. "None of these countries wants Somalia on their border," said Jon Alterman of the Center for Strategic Studies in Washington. "They don't want a country with armed militias running the streets."
Labels: Arab League, Sayyed Ahmed Safi, Shiite Muslim clerics, Sistani
