Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Al-Hashimi - Sunnis fear Shiite control over security
Politics
(RFE/RL) - The Iraqi Islamic Party apologized in a statement posted to its website on August 16 for being unable to join the moderates' front. The party said it is convinced that the way out of the current political crisis will not be found through the forging of new alliances or agreements, but rather through reaching a national accord on key issues that continue to divide Iraqis. The party said it wishes the four parties success in their efforts to salvage Iraq from the current crisis.
Sunni Arab Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, who heads the Islamic Party reiterated the main points of the party's statement in an August 16 interview with Al-Jazeera television. "We believe the difficult situation which Iraq is going through now does not need polarization and new alliances," he said. "Our view of resolving the existing crisis lies in a national agreement on the basic general issues over which the Iraqis are sharply divided." He added that deep mistrust between Sunni and Shi'ite Arabs continues to affect political relations. Sunnis are fearful of Shi'ite control over security, he said, implying an Iranian influence over the security organizations. Shi'a, he said, fear that Sunnis want to return to a dictatorial state.
Labels: Iraqi Islamic Party, Moderates Front, Tariq al-Hashimi
