Monday, July 02, 2007
Sadrists criticise efforts to form new Shiite-Kurdish coalition
Politics
(AP) - Followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Saturday criticized efforts to form a new coalition of leading Shiite and Kurdish parties, saying isolating political groups was not the solution to Iraq's turmoil. Talk of a new coalition is widely seen as an effort to sideline al-Sadr's anti-American movement, that holds 30 seats in the 275-member parliament. Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia has been blamed for much of the sectarian killings that have claimed thousands of lives.
"This is a partial agreement that means isolating other groups and no one should be isolated," Nassar al-Rubaie, a Sadrist lawmaker, said. "The only solution to Iraq's problems is to set up a national unity government made up of technocrats and not divided on sectarian basis." Another Sadrist lawmaker suggested that the Americans want a political realignment to approve "benchmark" legislation to distribute oil revenue, hold provincial elections and overhauling rules that removed thousands of Saddam Hussein loyalists from their jobs.
"This is not a political bloc," said Nasser al-Saidi. "It is a bloc to gather the largest number of members of parliament to approve laws..." The Sadrists also expressed reservations about a statement made by President Jalal Talabani that more executive powers would be given to the Sunnis.
Speaking at a Socialist conference Friday in Switzerland, Talabani said an agreement has been reached between the presidential council, which includes the Kurdish president and his Sunni and Shiite deputies, and the prime minister to form a "joint leadership in accordance with the constitution that says that the executive authority is made up of the presidency and Cabinet."
"By this, the complaint that Sunni Arabs are deprived from playing a leading role is solved," Talabani said. "We are against giving powers to the presidential council because this will paralyze the government as the decisions will be in the hand of more than one person," al-Rubaie said. "We are a parliamentary system and the decision is in the hands of the prime minister."
Efforts to form a new government coalition have intensified because of major rifts within the Iraqi government, which the U.S. had hoped would bring together Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. Instead, the government is riveted with divisions.
In April, the six Cabinet ministers loyal to al-Sadr walked out of the government in protest after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki rejected calls for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces. Two weeks ago, the 30 Sadrist lawmakers announced they would stay away from parliament until the government comes up with a plan to rebuild a Shiite shrine in Samarra devastated by bombs. This week, four Sunni ministers said they will boycott Cabinet meetings to protest the way al-Maliki handled legal proceedings against one of their Sunni colleagues under investigation in a 2005 assassination attempt.
"This is a partial agreement that means isolating other groups and no one should be isolated," Nassar al-Rubaie, a Sadrist lawmaker, said. "The only solution to Iraq's problems is to set up a national unity government made up of technocrats and not divided on sectarian basis." Another Sadrist lawmaker suggested that the Americans want a political realignment to approve "benchmark" legislation to distribute oil revenue, hold provincial elections and overhauling rules that removed thousands of Saddam Hussein loyalists from their jobs.
"This is not a political bloc," said Nasser al-Saidi. "It is a bloc to gather the largest number of members of parliament to approve laws..." The Sadrists also expressed reservations about a statement made by President Jalal Talabani that more executive powers would be given to the Sunnis.
Speaking at a Socialist conference Friday in Switzerland, Talabani said an agreement has been reached between the presidential council, which includes the Kurdish president and his Sunni and Shiite deputies, and the prime minister to form a "joint leadership in accordance with the constitution that says that the executive authority is made up of the presidency and Cabinet."
"By this, the complaint that Sunni Arabs are deprived from playing a leading role is solved," Talabani said. "We are against giving powers to the presidential council because this will paralyze the government as the decisions will be in the hand of more than one person," al-Rubaie said. "We are a parliamentary system and the decision is in the hands of the prime minister."
Efforts to form a new government coalition have intensified because of major rifts within the Iraqi government, which the U.S. had hoped would bring together Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. Instead, the government is riveted with divisions.
In April, the six Cabinet ministers loyal to al-Sadr walked out of the government in protest after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki rejected calls for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces. Two weeks ago, the 30 Sadrist lawmakers announced they would stay away from parliament until the government comes up with a plan to rebuild a Shiite shrine in Samarra devastated by bombs. This week, four Sunni ministers said they will boycott Cabinet meetings to protest the way al-Maliki handled legal proceedings against one of their Sunni colleagues under investigation in a 2005 assassination attempt.
Labels: Kurds, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Nassar al-Rubaie, political coalition, Shias
