Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Shiite leader in visit to Al Anbar
Politics
(Gulf News) - In a major reconciliatory gesture, a leader from Iraq's largest Shiite party has paid a rare visit to the Sunni Anbar province, delivering a message of unity to tribal shaikhs who have staged a US-backed revolt against Al Qaida militants. The leader of parliament's largest Sunni Arab bloc, Adnan Al Dulaimi, welcomed Ammar Al Hakim's visit to Anbar on Sunday as a "good initiative", saying Shiite-Sunni reconciliation was a goal cherished by his once-dominant Sunni Arab minority.
"This is what we hope, and we pray to Allah for," Al Dulaimi, whose three-party alliance has 44 of parliament's 275 seats, said yesterday. "We pray to God to make our Shiite brothers ... give us our due rights and not monopolise power." Al Hakim's visit to Anbar was the latest sign that key Iraqi politicians may be working toward reconciliation independently of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki's government, which has faced criticism for doing little to bring together Iraq's Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis.
Sunni Arab Vice-President Tariq Al Hashemi visited Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, Iraq's top Shiite cleric, last month at Najaf south of Baghdad. The visit amounted to an unprecedented Sunni Arab endorsement of Al Sistani's role as the nation's guardian. Al Hashemi's Iraqi Islamic Party also has been distancing itself from militant Sunni Arab groups and has in recent months forged closer ties with Al Hakim's Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, the country's largest Shiite party, and the two major Kurdish parties.
Al Hakim, son and heir apparent of Iraq's top Shiite politician, struck a note of national unity in Anbar. "Iraq does not belong to the Sunnis or the Shiites alone; nor does it belong to the Arabs or the Kurds and Turkomen," Al Hakim told his hosts in the provincial capital Ramadi, about 115km west of Baghdad. "Today, we must stand up and declare that Iraq is for all Iraqis." He stood next to the leader of the Anbar movement, Ahmad Abu Risha.
"This is what we hope, and we pray to Allah for," Al Dulaimi, whose three-party alliance has 44 of parliament's 275 seats, said yesterday. "We pray to God to make our Shiite brothers ... give us our due rights and not monopolise power." Al Hakim's visit to Anbar was the latest sign that key Iraqi politicians may be working toward reconciliation independently of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki's government, which has faced criticism for doing little to bring together Iraq's Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis.
Sunni Arab Vice-President Tariq Al Hashemi visited Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, Iraq's top Shiite cleric, last month at Najaf south of Baghdad. The visit amounted to an unprecedented Sunni Arab endorsement of Al Sistani's role as the nation's guardian. Al Hashemi's Iraqi Islamic Party also has been distancing itself from militant Sunni Arab groups and has in recent months forged closer ties with Al Hakim's Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, the country's largest Shiite party, and the two major Kurdish parties.
Al Hakim, son and heir apparent of Iraq's top Shiite politician, struck a note of national unity in Anbar. "Iraq does not belong to the Sunnis or the Shiites alone; nor does it belong to the Arabs or the Kurds and Turkomen," Al Hakim told his hosts in the provincial capital Ramadi, about 115km west of Baghdad. "Today, we must stand up and declare that Iraq is for all Iraqis." He stood next to the leader of the Anbar movement, Ahmad Abu Risha.
Labels: Adnan al-Dulaimi, Ahmad Abu Risha, Al Anbar, Ammar al-Hakim, Iraqi Islamic Party, tribal leaders
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Anbar Salvation Council leader killed
Security, Tribal
(Al Jazeera) - A prominent Iraqi Sunni tribal leader, who has been working with the US against al-Qaeda in Iraq in al-Anbar province since last year, has been killed, state television reported. Sattar Abu Risha was reportedly killed by a roadside bomb outside his home in the city of Ramadi on Thursday. Sheikh Abu Risha was leader of the Anbar Salvation Council, an alliance of clans that supported the Iraqi government and US forces in fighting al-Qaeda.
"This is a man who has had a controversial past, but in recent months he has become a very prominent figure, even meeting George Bush," Al Jazeera's James Bays said. Abu Risha had urged the tribal leaders in other Iraqi provinces to follow al-Anbar's lead in co-operating with the central government against al-Qaeda. "He was returning home when his convoy was hit by a roadside bomb planted by insurgents," Colonel Tareq al-Dulaimi, al-Anbar security chief said. "His car was hit directly."
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. Sheikh Jubeir Rashid, a senior member of Abu Risha's group, told the Associated Press: "It is a major blow to the council, but we are determined to strike back and continue our work. "Such an attack was expected, but it will not deter us." Two of Abu Risha's bodyguards were also killed by the roadside bomb, Colonel Tareq Youssef, supervisor of Anbar police, said.
"This is a man who has had a controversial past, but in recent months he has become a very prominent figure, even meeting George Bush," Al Jazeera's James Bays said. Abu Risha had urged the tribal leaders in other Iraqi provinces to follow al-Anbar's lead in co-operating with the central government against al-Qaeda. "He was returning home when his convoy was hit by a roadside bomb planted by insurgents," Colonel Tareq al-Dulaimi, al-Anbar security chief said. "His car was hit directly."
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. Sheikh Jubeir Rashid, a senior member of Abu Risha's group, told the Associated Press: "It is a major blow to the council, but we are determined to strike back and continue our work. "Such an attack was expected, but it will not deter us." Two of Abu Risha's bodyguards were also killed by the roadside bomb, Colonel Tareq Youssef, supervisor of Anbar police, said.
Police announced a state of emergency in Ramadi after the bombing and set up additional checkpoints throughout the city, Rashid said. General David Petraeus, the senior US commander in Iraq, repeatedly pointed to successes in tackling al-Qaeda in al-Anbar province during his testimony before the US congress. Omar Abdul Satar from the Islamic Party of Iraq told Al Jazeera Abu Rishar had become a national symbol of the "national war against al-Qaeda".
"It is a major blow to the council, but we are determined to strike back and continue our work." "His programme now against al-Qaeda has become a national programme. Diyala province, Salahuddin province, Baghdad province are following now his programme," he said. Bush is set to deliver a 15-minute address to the nation on Thursday evening (0100 GMT on Friday) is expected to announce that he may pull some 30,000 US troops out of Iraq by mid-2008 effectively ending the so-called "surge".
"It is a major blow to the council, but we are determined to strike back and continue our work." "His programme now against al-Qaeda has become a national programme. Diyala province, Salahuddin province, Baghdad province are following now his programme," he said. Bush is set to deliver a 15-minute address to the nation on Thursday evening (0100 GMT on Friday) is expected to announce that he may pull some 30,000 US troops out of Iraq by mid-2008 effectively ending the so-called "surge".
But Hoda Abdel Hamid, Al Jazeera's Iraq correspondent, said the killing could derail some of the US successes. "Al-Anbar province was really the capital of al-Qaeda in Iraq ... he manage to convince the tribes to give up there young people to make up the police and armed forces in the province," she said. Within hours of Abu Risha's death, Islamic websites posted messages praising the Abu Risha's killing, the Associated Press news agency reported. One called him "one of the biggest pigs of the Crusaders," while another said he would spend Ramadan "in the pits of hell".
Labels: Anbar Salvation Council, Iraqi Islamic Party, Omar Abdul Satar, Ramadi, Sheikh Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, Sheikh Jubeir Rashid, state of emergency, Sunni tribal leader
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
KRG, Hashimi call on Iraqi government to do more to protect Kurdish citizens
Security, Kurdistan
(RFE/RL) - Sunni Arab Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi on August 27 called on the Iraqi government to protect Kurdish citizens from shelling operations carried out by neighboring states, Al-Sharqiyah television reported the same day. Al-Hashimi said in a statement released by the Iraqi Islamic Party, which he heads, that the nearly two weeks of shelling is unjustified. He said the Iraqi government is obliged to take action to secure the areas under attack and reduce casualties.
Kurdish officials have said Iran has bombed several villages Tehran suspects of sheltering Iranian Kurdish militants. Meanwhile, state-run Al-Iraqiyah television reported on August 27 that Kurds demonstrated outside the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan headquarters in Irbil to protest Iranian and Turkish shelling of villages outside Al-Sulaymaniyah and Dahuk. Iranian government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham denied on August 22 that Iran had dropped leaflets warning Kurdish villagers to evacuate the area ahead of a planned military operation, Reuters reported the same day.
Elham refused to comment further on Iranian operations in the area, except to say: "Iran is ready to deal with groups that jeopardize the security of the people in the region without hurting civilians," the news agency reported. Turkey has denied taking part in the shelling, but Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul last week voiced possible Turkish support for a cross-border operation by Iran, turkishweekly.net reported on August 27. Kurdistan Satellite television on August 28 carried a live broadcast of the Kurdistan regional parliament's extraordinary session to discuss the reported shelling of Iraqi Kurdish villages by Iran and Turkey.
Regional parliament spokesman Tariq Jawhar told Al-Iraqiyah in an August 27 interview that the central government has said little about the shelling. "We have not yet heard any official Iraqi reaction [to the shelling] except for the statements made [on August 26] by the prime minister to the effect that the Iranian and Turkish shelling and operations violate Iraq's sovereignty.... [We] hope the Iraqi government will take practical measures and demand the Iranian and Turkish sides halt their military operations." Prime Minister al-Maliki told reporters at an August 26 press briefing in Baghdad: "The bombardments by Iran and Turkey are violations of Iraq's sovereignty. We will not allow these violations, but this must come through diplomatic channels. We will inform our brothers in Turkey and Iran about that through the Foreign Ministry."
Labels: Iran, Iraqi Islamic Party, KRG, Kurdistan, PUK, Tariq al-Hashimi, Turkey
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
Monday, August 20, 2007
Kurdish-Shia political alliance meet with Sunni leader
Politics
(CNN) -- The leaders of a new Shiite and Kurdish political alliance met with a top Sunni Arab leader Saturday, raising hope for a breakthrough to curb factional violence in Iraq. Tariq al-Hashimi, a Sunni and one of Iraq's two vice presidents, met with the other leaders ahead of a political summit that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has been planning.
The meeting started in the late afternoon and lasted for a few hours, and it may resume on Sunday, al-Maliki's office said. Al-Hashimi's office said they agreed on the summit's agenda and who will attend, as well as some similar issues. Al-Maliki's fractious government has been beset by walkouts and the parliament has been unable to agree on major legislation.
Lawmakers were alarmed when six members of the Iraq Accord Front, the Sunni bloc, walked out several weeks ago. Backroom negotiations have been going on ever since. The Bush administration is concerned about the central government's political problems. "Unfortunately, political progress at the national level has not matched the pace of progress at the local level," President Bush said in his weekly radio address.
Al-Maliki signed a political agreement Thursday with three other leaders -- President Jalal Talabani of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Kurdish regional government leader Massoud Barzani of the Kurdish Democratic Party, and Shiite Vice President Adel Abdul Mehdi of the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq. The purpose was to create an alliance of moderates, particularly ahead of next month's report to the U.S. Congress on the state of affairs in Iraq. Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker will deliver the report.
Al-Hashimi did not show up at Thursday's meeting. His party, the Iraqi Islamic Party, is the largest in the government coalition and his presence in the new alliance is regarded as a major step in forging a national consensus. But on Saturday, Al-Hashimi and the four leaders who signed the agreement on Thursday discussed the political crisis and ways to resolve their differences.
Al-Maliki will travel to Syria on Monday for a three-day official visit to the Arab neighbor, his first. His delegation will include the ministers of trade and oil. Earlier this month, he visited Iran. Both Iran and Syria have been criticized by the Bush administration. The U.S. administration says that Iranian Revolutionary Guard agents are supporting Iraqi insurgents -- a claim Iran denies -- and accuses Syria of not doing enough to stop militants from crossing the Syrian border into Iraq to stage attacks. Nevertheless, Iraq has signed agreements with Iran on building oil pipelines and maintaining border security and has sought to establish ties with Syria.
The meeting started in the late afternoon and lasted for a few hours, and it may resume on Sunday, al-Maliki's office said. Al-Hashimi's office said they agreed on the summit's agenda and who will attend, as well as some similar issues. Al-Maliki's fractious government has been beset by walkouts and the parliament has been unable to agree on major legislation.
Lawmakers were alarmed when six members of the Iraq Accord Front, the Sunni bloc, walked out several weeks ago. Backroom negotiations have been going on ever since. The Bush administration is concerned about the central government's political problems. "Unfortunately, political progress at the national level has not matched the pace of progress at the local level," President Bush said in his weekly radio address.
Al-Maliki signed a political agreement Thursday with three other leaders -- President Jalal Talabani of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Kurdish regional government leader Massoud Barzani of the Kurdish Democratic Party, and Shiite Vice President Adel Abdul Mehdi of the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq. The purpose was to create an alliance of moderates, particularly ahead of next month's report to the U.S. Congress on the state of affairs in Iraq. Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker will deliver the report.
Al-Hashimi did not show up at Thursday's meeting. His party, the Iraqi Islamic Party, is the largest in the government coalition and his presence in the new alliance is regarded as a major step in forging a national consensus. But on Saturday, Al-Hashimi and the four leaders who signed the agreement on Thursday discussed the political crisis and ways to resolve their differences.
Al-Maliki will travel to Syria on Monday for a three-day official visit to the Arab neighbor, his first. His delegation will include the ministers of trade and oil. Earlier this month, he visited Iran. Both Iran and Syria have been criticized by the Bush administration. The U.S. administration says that Iranian Revolutionary Guard agents are supporting Iraqi insurgents -- a claim Iran denies -- and accuses Syria of not doing enough to stop militants from crossing the Syrian border into Iraq to stage attacks. Nevertheless, Iraq has signed agreements with Iran on building oil pipelines and maintaining border security and has sought to establish ties with Syria.
Labels: Iraqi Accordance Front, Iraqi Islamic Party, Nouri Al-Maliki, Syria, Tariq al-Hashimi
Friday, August 17, 2007
Four major political parties sign agreement to revive Iraqi political process as Sunni party leader warns of setting up "counter coalitions"
Politics
(Voices of Iraq) - A leading figure from the Sunni Islamic Party expressed on Thursday reservation over a new Kurdish-Shiite alliance that announced earlier today in Baghdad, warning of setting up what he described as "counter coalitions." "We, the Islamic Party, express our reservation on the new alliance and we see that it is too early to confirm whether it will work out or not," Omar Abdul Sattar told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) by telephone.
The politician said "yesterday (Wednesday) we had a meeting with the two Kurdish parties (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and Kurdistan Democratic Party) to discuss the political situation and the possible means to rescue the country from the current impasse and we told them the time is premature to form such an alliance."
The leading figure whose party is a main component of the Sunni Accordance Front said "We were in need of many steps to take and more common visions to share before we could reach the compromise of a six-way alliance that would also include (former Iraqi PM) Allawi's Iraqi National List and the Islamic party, but the differences caused the alliance to be announced by four components only."
"The new alliance may lead to the formation of new counter-coalitions, which I expect will cause more deterioration in the country," said Abdul Sattar noting that "we could not correct a mistake by committing another one." Abdul Sattar, who declined to reply to a question by VOI as to whether the new alliance was meant to declare a parliamentary majority's government if Accordance ministers who quit the cabinet refused to return, commented "it is a step towards prolonging the life of al-Maliki's government."
The politician said "yesterday (Wednesday) we had a meeting with the two Kurdish parties (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and Kurdistan Democratic Party) to discuss the political situation and the possible means to rescue the country from the current impasse and we told them the time is premature to form such an alliance."
The leading figure whose party is a main component of the Sunni Accordance Front said "We were in need of many steps to take and more common visions to share before we could reach the compromise of a six-way alliance that would also include (former Iraqi PM) Allawi's Iraqi National List and the Islamic party, but the differences caused the alliance to be announced by four components only."
"The new alliance may lead to the formation of new counter-coalitions, which I expect will cause more deterioration in the country," said Abdul Sattar noting that "we could not correct a mistake by committing another one." Abdul Sattar, who declined to reply to a question by VOI as to whether the new alliance was meant to declare a parliamentary majority's government if Accordance ministers who quit the cabinet refused to return, commented "it is a step towards prolonging the life of al-Maliki's government."
Four major Iraqi political parties signed on Thursday an agreement, aired by al-Iraqiya satellite television, to revive the political process in Iraq. The agreement was signed by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the Islamic Daawa party and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC). The four parties were represented by President Jalal Talabani, President of Kurdistan region Massoud Barazani, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi.
President Talabani refused to use the word “quartet” or “moderates’ bloc,” noting that they had signed an initiative to revive the political process. “We cannot call it a bloc, but rather an agreement between four parties committed to former agreements for reviving the political process,” Talabani said in a press conference attended by Nouri al-Maliki, Barazani and Abdul Mahdi.
“We tried to made contact with the Iraqi Islamic Party in an attempt to involve it in the agreement, but it said that the circumstances were not appropriate,” he added. “The bloc consists of four parties now but it is open for all parties to take part in it,” Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said. “We will try to revive the stagnant political process; we will not accept it to be hampered. The agreement is not a replacement of the political blocs, the door is open for all to participate,” the premier explained.
President Talabani refused to use the word “quartet” or “moderates’ bloc,” noting that they had signed an initiative to revive the political process. “We cannot call it a bloc, but rather an agreement between four parties committed to former agreements for reviving the political process,” Talabani said in a press conference attended by Nouri al-Maliki, Barazani and Abdul Mahdi.
“We tried to made contact with the Iraqi Islamic Party in an attempt to involve it in the agreement, but it said that the circumstances were not appropriate,” he added. “The bloc consists of four parties now but it is open for all parties to take part in it,” Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said. “We will try to revive the stagnant political process; we will not accept it to be hampered. The agreement is not a replacement of the political blocs, the door is open for all to participate,” the premier explained.
Labels: Dawa party, Iraqi Islamic Party, KDP, Omar Abdul Sattar, PUK, SIIC
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Sunnis shun Maliki's new alliance of Kurds and Shiites
Politics
(Gulf News) - The Iraqi prime minister and president on Thursday announced a new alliance of moderate Shiites and Kurds, saying Sunni moderates refused to join but the door remained open to them. Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki said the agreement was the first step to unblock political stagnation that has gripped his Shiite-led government since it first took power in May2006.
Pressure has been mounting against Al Maliki who has been criticised for having a Shiite bias and failing to stop the sectarian violence, which persists in Iraq despite the presence of tens of thousands of extra US troops. The announcement of the political accord after three days of intense negotiations in the capital was disappointing because it did not include Iraq's Sunni Vice President Tariq Al Hashemi and his moderate Iraqi Islamic Party.
President Jalal Talabani and Al Maliki were flanked by the leader of the northern autonomous Kurdish region, Massoud Barzani, and Shiite Vice President Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi at a news conference. The four men signed a three-page agreement that they said ensures them a majority in the 275-member parliament that would allow movement of critical US-demanded legislation.
Talabani, a Kurd, said Al Hashemi refused the invitation to join in the new political grouping but "the door is still open to them and they are welcome at any time." Al Maliki also called on the Sunni Accordance Front, which includes Al Hashemi's party, to return to the government, to heal a rift that opened when the bloc's five Cabinet ministers quit the government.
The four-party agreement was unveiled four weeks before the top US commander in Iraq Gen. David Petraeus and US Ambassador Ryan Crocker are to deliver a progress report on Iraq to Congress. "We have relegated efforts to topple the government to the past. We are now in a new stage," said Al Maliki's adviser, Yassin Majeed. "We will keep working to bring the Accordance Front back, but if they insist we will have a majority in parliament and bring in new ministers."
Omar Abdul-Sattar, a lawmaker with the Iraqi Islamic Party, said Kurdish representatives issued the invitaton on Wednesday and it was refused. "We said we are not ready tojoin this alliance at the current time," he said.
Pressure has been mounting against Al Maliki who has been criticised for having a Shiite bias and failing to stop the sectarian violence, which persists in Iraq despite the presence of tens of thousands of extra US troops. The announcement of the political accord after three days of intense negotiations in the capital was disappointing because it did not include Iraq's Sunni Vice President Tariq Al Hashemi and his moderate Iraqi Islamic Party.
President Jalal Talabani and Al Maliki were flanked by the leader of the northern autonomous Kurdish region, Massoud Barzani, and Shiite Vice President Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi at a news conference. The four men signed a three-page agreement that they said ensures them a majority in the 275-member parliament that would allow movement of critical US-demanded legislation.
Talabani, a Kurd, said Al Hashemi refused the invitation to join in the new political grouping but "the door is still open to them and they are welcome at any time." Al Maliki also called on the Sunni Accordance Front, which includes Al Hashemi's party, to return to the government, to heal a rift that opened when the bloc's five Cabinet ministers quit the government.
The four-party agreement was unveiled four weeks before the top US commander in Iraq Gen. David Petraeus and US Ambassador Ryan Crocker are to deliver a progress report on Iraq to Congress. "We have relegated efforts to topple the government to the past. We are now in a new stage," said Al Maliki's adviser, Yassin Majeed. "We will keep working to bring the Accordance Front back, but if they insist we will have a majority in parliament and bring in new ministers."
Omar Abdul-Sattar, a lawmaker with the Iraqi Islamic Party, said Kurdish representatives issued the invitaton on Wednesday and it was refused. "We said we are not ready tojoin this alliance at the current time," he said.
Labels: Iraqi Accordance Front, Iraqi Islamic Party, Jalal Talabani, Massoud Barzani, Nouri Al-Maliki, Tariq Al Hashemi
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Al-Hashimi calls on Maliki to reform Security Ministry
Politics
(RFE/RL) - Sunni Arab Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi called on Prime Minister al-Maliki to reform the State Ministry for National Security Affairs, in a statement posted on the Iraqi Islamic Party's website on August 7. Al-Hashimi claimed the ministry has expanded beyond the size specified when it was created, with branches in every governorate, and is financed by unknown sources. Al-Hashimi contended that according to the Iraqi Constitution, the ministry is to have no more than 17 employees, noting it currently employs 1,400 people.
"I have major reservations about the formation of the units that are in charge of security, and also over how the security file is being run. Many violations are being carried out, and agreements that were reached before the formation of the government are being breached," al-Hashimi said in the statement. He claimed he presented a study on the security file that called for the ministry to be run jointly -- presumably by Sunnis and Shi'a -- but received no response from al-Maliki.
Labels: Iraqi Islamic Party, Nouri Al-Maliki, Security Ministry, Tariq al-Hashimi
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Largest Sunni bloc suspends govt membership
Politics
(AP) - Iraq's largest Sunni Arab bloc said Wednesday it has suspended its membership in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's coalition government, dealing a new setback to the Shiite leader's efforts to achieve national reconciliation. The Iraqi Accordance Front, which has six Cabinet members as well as 44 of parliament's 275 seats, said it was giving al-Maliki a week to meet their demands or it would quit his 14-month-old Cabinet altogether.
"The Accordance Front announces the suspension of its membership in the government," Sheik Khalaf al-Elyan said at a news conference attended by the two other leaders of the three-party Accordance Front, Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi of the Iraqi Islamic Party and Adnan al-Dulaimi of the Congress of the People of Iraq. Al-Elyan leads the National Dialogue Council.
Reading from a prepared statement, al-Elyan said the front's demands included a pardon for security detainees not charged with specific crimes, a firm commitment by the government to human rights, the disbanding of militias and the inclusion of all parties in the government in dealing with the country's security situation.
The Sunni ministers already had been refusing to attend Cabinet meetings but said Wednesday they would stop going to work, effective immediately. The Accordance Front members of government include the deputy prime minister for security as well as the ministers of planning, higher education, culture, defense and the minister of state for women's affairs.
The decision also threatened to undermine weeks of behind-the-scene negotiations to form a coalition of moderate parties from all sects - dubbed "the alliance of moderates." So far only two Shiite and two Kurdish parties have signed up and they had been urging al-Hashemi's moderate Islamic Party, the country's largest Sunni Arab group, and independent Shiites to join them.
Wednesday's decision by the Accordance Front signaled that al-Hashemi had opted not to abandon his Sunni allies for the sake of joining the new group, which was to exclude al-Hashemi's militant partners as well as the Sadrists. In remarks at the news conference, however, al-Hashemi left open the possibility of joining the new alliance if the participants made an unequivocal announcement of "goodwill."
"There are no encouraging indications so far," al-Hashemi said, adding he had informed Talabani of the Accordance Front's decision to suspend its Cabinet membership on Tuesday. A statement by Talabani's office suggested that the Kurdish president sought to dissuade al-Hashemi from breaking with al-Maliki's government in their meeting the previous day.
"The Accordance Front announces the suspension of its membership in the government," Sheik Khalaf al-Elyan said at a news conference attended by the two other leaders of the three-party Accordance Front, Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi of the Iraqi Islamic Party and Adnan al-Dulaimi of the Congress of the People of Iraq. Al-Elyan leads the National Dialogue Council.
Reading from a prepared statement, al-Elyan said the front's demands included a pardon for security detainees not charged with specific crimes, a firm commitment by the government to human rights, the disbanding of militias and the inclusion of all parties in the government in dealing with the country's security situation.
The Sunni ministers already had been refusing to attend Cabinet meetings but said Wednesday they would stop going to work, effective immediately. The Accordance Front members of government include the deputy prime minister for security as well as the ministers of planning, higher education, culture, defense and the minister of state for women's affairs.
The decision also threatened to undermine weeks of behind-the-scene negotiations to form a coalition of moderate parties from all sects - dubbed "the alliance of moderates." So far only two Shiite and two Kurdish parties have signed up and they had been urging al-Hashemi's moderate Islamic Party, the country's largest Sunni Arab group, and independent Shiites to join them.
Wednesday's decision by the Accordance Front signaled that al-Hashemi had opted not to abandon his Sunni allies for the sake of joining the new group, which was to exclude al-Hashemi's militant partners as well as the Sadrists. In remarks at the news conference, however, al-Hashemi left open the possibility of joining the new alliance if the participants made an unequivocal announcement of "goodwill."
"There are no encouraging indications so far," al-Hashemi said, adding he had informed Talabani of the Accordance Front's decision to suspend its Cabinet membership on Tuesday. A statement by Talabani's office suggested that the Kurdish president sought to dissuade al-Hashemi from breaking with al-Maliki's government in their meeting the previous day.
Labels: Iraqi Accordance Front, Iraqi government, Iraqi Islamic Party, Nouri Al-Maliki, Sheik Khalaf al-Elyan, the alliance of moderates
Monday, July 09, 2007
Iraqi Islamic Party denies al-Hashimi has turned against al-Maliki
Politics
(Stratfor) - The Iraqi Islamic Party denied that Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi is rallying parliamentarians to cast a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, despite al-Hashimi's previous statements of dissatisfaction with the al-Maliki government. The party also denied reports that al-Hashimi met with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney.
Labels: Dick Cheney, Iraqi Islamic Party, Nouri Al-Maliki, Tariq al-Hashimi
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Iraqi Islamic Party condemns Diyala operation
Security, Politics
(RFE/RL) - The Sunni-led Iraqi Islamic Party issued a statement on its website on July 1 condemning Operation Arrowhead Ripper, a joint U.S.-Iraqi military operation aimed at eliminating Al-Qaeda in Iraq elements in and around the town of Ba'qubah, the capital of Diyala Governorate. The party described what is occurring in Ba'qubah as a " bloody massacre" and "collective punishment," and urged Iraqi and U.S. forces to differentiate between armed fighters and innocent civilians.
"Western Ba'qubah neighborhoods [Al-Mafraq, Al-Mu'allimin, and Al-Qatun] have been exposed to a fierce attack for more than a week," the statement said. "Occupation forces have bombarded those neighborhoods with planes, which resulted in the destruction of more than 150 houses and the killing of more than 350 citizens, whose bodies remain under the rubble of the buildings. They also arrested dozens of citizens."
Labels: Al Qaeda in Iraq, Baqouba, Diyala, Iraqi Islamic Party, Operation Arrowhead Ripper
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Al-sadr in talks with Sunni tribal leaders, Sunni militants
Security, Politics, Tribal
(IPS) - Nationalist Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's bid to unite Sunnis and Shiites on the basis of a common demand for withdrawal of U.S. occupation forces, reported last weekend by the Washington Post's Sudarsan Raghavan, seems likely to get a positive response from Sunni armed resistance. An account given Pentagon officials by a military officer recently returned from Iraq suggests that Sunni tribal leaders in Anbar province, who have generally reflected the views of the Sunni armed resistance there, are open to working with Sadr.
According to Raghavan's report on May 20, talks between Sadr's representatives and Sunni leaders, including leaders of Sunni armed resistance factions, first began in April. A commander of the 1920 Revolution Brigades, Abu Aja Naemi, confirmed to Raghavan that his organisation had been in discussions with Sadr's representatives. Sadr's aides say he was encouraged to launch the new cross-sectarian initiative by the increasingly violent opposition from nationalist Sunni insurgents to the jihadists aligned with al Qaeda. One of his top aides, Ahmed Shaibani, recalled that the George W. Bush administration was arguing that a timetable was unacceptable because of the danger of al Qaeda taking advantage of a withdrawal.
Shaibani told Raghavan that sectarian peace could be advanced if both Sadr's Mahdi Army and Sunni insurgent groups could unite to weaken al Qaeda. Raghavan reports that the cross-sectarian united front strategy was facilitated by the fact that Shaibani had befriended members of Sunni nationalist insurgent groups while he was held in U.S. detention centres from 2004 through 2006. Now Shaibani, who heads a "reconciliation committee" for Sadr, is well positioned to gain the trust of those Sunni organisations. The talks with Sunni resistance leaders have been coordinated with a series of other moves by Sadr since early February.
Although many members of Sadr's Mahdi Army have been involved in sectarian killings and intimidation of Sunnis in Baghdad, Sadr has taken what appears to be a decisive step to break with those in his movement who have been linked to sectarian violence. Over the past three months, he has expelled at least 600 men from the Mahdi Army who were accused of murder and other violations of Sadr's policy, according to Raghavan.
The massive demonstration against the occupation mounted in Najaf by Sadr's organisation on Apr. 9, which Iraqi and foreign observers estimated at tens or even hundreds of thousands of people, was apparently timed to coincide with his initiative in opening talks with the Sunnis. The demonstration not only showed that Sadr could mobilise crowds comparable to the largest ever seen in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, but also made clear Sadr's commitment to transcending sectarian interests.
The demonstrators carried Iraqi flags instead of pictures of Sadr or other Shiite symbols. It also included a small contingent of members of the Sunni-based Islamic Party of Iraq. Sadr's decision in mid-April to pull his representatives out of the al-Maliki government also appears to have been aimed in part at clearing the way for an agreement with the Sunni insurgents. Leaders of those organisations have said they would not accept the U.S.-sponsored government in any peace negotiations with the United States.
The officer also reported that Sunni tribal sheiks have explicitly disavowed the notion that Sadr is a pawn of the Iranians, insisting instead that he doesn't like either Iran or the newly-renamed Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq, which was created in Iran and supported by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. The sheiks have warned their U.S. military contacts against aggressive military actions against Sadr's followers in Sadr City during the troop surge, according to the account given by the special ops officer.
They said Sadr hopes such provocative United States actions will ultimately result in a new Shiite resistance war against U.S. forces, and they urge swift withdrawal to avoid that outcome. Sadr's project for a Sunni-Shiite united front against both al Qaeda and U.S. occupation offers a potential basis for an eventual settlement of the sectarian civil war in Iraq as well as for U.S. withdrawal. But it could also be the basis for a new and more deadly phase of fighting if Sadr returns once more to military resistance.
Labels: Abu Aja Naemi, Al Qaeda, Iraqi Islamic Party, Mahdi Army, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Sunni militants, Sunni tribal leaders, the 1920 Revolution Brigades
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Al-Sadr believed to be planning to take advantage of power vacuum
Politics
(AP) - From hiding, possibly in Iran, U.S. nemesis and radical anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is believed to be honing plans to sweep into the power vacuum made all the more intense by news that his chief Shiite rival has lung cancer. And he's betting the U.S. won't keep its troops in Iraq much longer. Al-Sadr aides and loyal lawmakers have told The Associated Press the cleric's ambitions mean he will avoid taking on the Americans militarily as he did in 2004, when his Mahdi Army militia fought U.S. forces to a standstill.
Instead, the 33-year-old cleric plans to keep up the drumbeat of anti-American rhetoric, consolidate political gains in Baghdad and the mainly Shiite south, and quietly foster even closer ties with neighboring Iran and its Shiite theocracy. The strategy is based in part on al-Sadr's belief that Washington will soon start pulling out troops or draw them down significantly, leaving behind a huge hole in Iraq's security and political power structure, al-Sadr's associates said.
Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi told reporters Monday that Iraq's military is drawing up plans in case U.S.-led forces leave the country quickly. "The army plans on the basis of a worst-case scenario so as not to allow any security vacuum," al-Obeidi said. "There are meetings with political leaders on how we can deal with a sudden pullout." It was unclear whether al-Obeidi was referring to routine contingency planning, or if his remarks reflected a new realization among Iraqi leaders that the days of American support may be numbered.
Al-Sadr also believes, his associates said, that Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government may not last much longer, given its failure to improve security, services and the economy. A government collapse is certain to be followed by a political realignment in which the Sadrist movement stands a good chance of emerging as the main player. Al-Sadr's loyalists have 30 of parliament's 275 seats.
The six lawmakers and aides spoke to the AP in separate interviews over the past week. Several agreed to speak of the movement's future only on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss strategy with outsiders. They stuck to broad outlines, declining to be drawn into specifics. "We gave the government a historic opportunity, but al-Maliki did not use it and that's why we are preparing for a state led by the Sadrist movement," said an al-Sadr political aide who is among those who spoke on condition of anonymity. "An Islamic state led by the Sadrists is our future," he said.
Instead, the 33-year-old cleric plans to keep up the drumbeat of anti-American rhetoric, consolidate political gains in Baghdad and the mainly Shiite south, and quietly foster even closer ties with neighboring Iran and its Shiite theocracy. The strategy is based in part on al-Sadr's belief that Washington will soon start pulling out troops or draw them down significantly, leaving behind a huge hole in Iraq's security and political power structure, al-Sadr's associates said.
Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi told reporters Monday that Iraq's military is drawing up plans in case U.S.-led forces leave the country quickly. "The army plans on the basis of a worst-case scenario so as not to allow any security vacuum," al-Obeidi said. "There are meetings with political leaders on how we can deal with a sudden pullout." It was unclear whether al-Obeidi was referring to routine contingency planning, or if his remarks reflected a new realization among Iraqi leaders that the days of American support may be numbered.
Al-Sadr also believes, his associates said, that Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government may not last much longer, given its failure to improve security, services and the economy. A government collapse is certain to be followed by a political realignment in which the Sadrist movement stands a good chance of emerging as the main player. Al-Sadr's loyalists have 30 of parliament's 275 seats.
The six lawmakers and aides spoke to the AP in separate interviews over the past week. Several agreed to speak of the movement's future only on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss strategy with outsiders. They stuck to broad outlines, declining to be drawn into specifics. "We gave the government a historic opportunity, but al-Maliki did not use it and that's why we are preparing for a state led by the Sadrist movement," said an al-Sadr political aide who is among those who spoke on condition of anonymity. "An Islamic state led by the Sadrists is our future," he said.
"We want an Islamic system," said Nassar al-Rubaie, a Sadrist lawmaker. "We want a presidential system that will produce someone with a power similar to that of a Muslim caliph." On Tuesday, Sadrist lawmakers met with Sunni Arab tribal leaders leading a fight against militants from al-Qaida in Iraq in the western Anbar province. In a joint statement, the two sides called for local elections to be held soon and for Iraq's rival political blocs to rise above their differences.
"We believe that the Sadrist movement is an independent and nationalist movement that we are ready to cooperate with," said Omar Abdul-Sattar, a lawmaker from the Iraqi Islamic Party, the nation's largest Sunni group.
"We believe that the Sadrist movement is an independent and nationalist movement that we are ready to cooperate with," said Omar Abdul-Sattar, a lawmaker from the Iraqi Islamic Party, the nation's largest Sunni group.
Labels: Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi, Iraqi Islamic Party, local elections, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Omar Abdul-Sattar Mahmud, Sunni tribal leaders
Monday, May 14, 2007
Al-Maliki agrees to give Sunnis bigger role in security operations
Politics
(AP) -- Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki agreed to give Sunnis a bigger role in security operations in their areas, lawmakers said Sunday, in a deal that staves off a threatened Sunni walkout that could have toppled the Shiite leader's embattled government. The deal reached with Iraq's Sunni vice president could help assuage long-standing Sunni complaints that Shiite-dominated security forces unfairly target Sunni areas but avoid cracking down on Shiite militias linked to influential politicians.
The lawmakers said the deal was reached in talks last week between al-Maliki and Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, who had threatened to withdraw his bloc from the government if Sunni demands were not met. His bloc controls 44 of the 275 parliament seats. Under the terms, al-Hashemi will have an "executive role" in the fight against insurgents in Sunni areas inside and outside the capital of Baghdad, the lawmakers said. Al-Maliki remains the armed forces' commander in chief, they said.
However, the agreement was described by lawmakers as an understanding rather than a formal pact, and similar arrangements have broken down in the past. "The government realized that we were not just making empty threats, so they took us seriously" said Sunni lawmaker Salim Abdullah, a member of al-Hashemi's Iraqi Islamic Party, the country's biggest Sunni political group.
"The ball is now in the government's court," said Abdullah, who confirmed the deal along with a Shiite lawmaker close to al-Maliki. The Shiite spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information to the media. One Sunni Arab politician, Omar Abdul-Sattar, said 11,000 volunteers from Sunni areas west of the capital have been waiting for months to hear news about their applications to join the army.
Reconciliation is a key benchmark the U.S. wants al-Maliki's government to meet at a time of growing congressional opposition to the war. Other benchmarks include a new law to distribute oil revenues equitably among all Iraqis and amendments to the constitution to address Sunni demands.
In the deal with al-Hashemi, al-Maliki also agreed not to stand in the way when judicial authorities release Sunni Arab detainees suspected of having links to insurgent groups, but have not been formally charged. The U.N. says more than 37,000 detainees, most of them believed to be Sunnis, were being held by Iraqi and U.S.-led forces as of March 31.
It also provides for an end to government threats to lift the parliamentary immunity of Sunni lawmakers so they can be questioned about suspected links to insurgent groups. Al-Hashemi had wanted a halt to security raids targeting the homes and offices of Sunni lawmakers and the arrest of their personal security details, but it was unclear if al-Maliki accepted those demands.
The lawmakers said the deal was reached in talks last week between al-Maliki and Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, who had threatened to withdraw his bloc from the government if Sunni demands were not met. His bloc controls 44 of the 275 parliament seats. Under the terms, al-Hashemi will have an "executive role" in the fight against insurgents in Sunni areas inside and outside the capital of Baghdad, the lawmakers said. Al-Maliki remains the armed forces' commander in chief, they said.
However, the agreement was described by lawmakers as an understanding rather than a formal pact, and similar arrangements have broken down in the past. "The government realized that we were not just making empty threats, so they took us seriously" said Sunni lawmaker Salim Abdullah, a member of al-Hashemi's Iraqi Islamic Party, the country's biggest Sunni political group.
"The ball is now in the government's court," said Abdullah, who confirmed the deal along with a Shiite lawmaker close to al-Maliki. The Shiite spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information to the media. One Sunni Arab politician, Omar Abdul-Sattar, said 11,000 volunteers from Sunni areas west of the capital have been waiting for months to hear news about their applications to join the army.
Reconciliation is a key benchmark the U.S. wants al-Maliki's government to meet at a time of growing congressional opposition to the war. Other benchmarks include a new law to distribute oil revenues equitably among all Iraqis and amendments to the constitution to address Sunni demands.
In the deal with al-Hashemi, al-Maliki also agreed not to stand in the way when judicial authorities release Sunni Arab detainees suspected of having links to insurgent groups, but have not been formally charged. The U.N. says more than 37,000 detainees, most of them believed to be Sunnis, were being held by Iraqi and U.S.-led forces as of March 31.
It also provides for an end to government threats to lift the parliamentary immunity of Sunni lawmakers so they can be questioned about suspected links to insurgent groups. Al-Hashemi had wanted a halt to security raids targeting the homes and offices of Sunni lawmakers and the arrest of their personal security details, but it was unclear if al-Maliki accepted those demands.
Labels: Iraqi Islamic Party, Nouri Al-Maliki, Salim Abdullah, Tariq al-Hashimi
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Sadr calls for talks with Sunnis opposed to Maliki's government
Politics
(McClatchy Newspapers) - Both Sunni and Shiite political factions are threatening to withdraw from the already weak government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a prospect that threatens the political accommodations needed to calm Iraq's sectarian warfare. Maliki supporters say the threats are nothing more than the bluster of negotiations and that the prime minister will be able to hold his fragile coalition together.
But Sunni politicians said Tuesday that they're serious about pulling out of parliament over what they say is Maliki's reluctance to share power. Maliki is a Shiite.
Meanwhile, rumors are swirling that loyalists of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr also are considering breaking away from the Shiites' United Iraqi Alliance in the legislature, a move that would rob that ruling political bloc of its slim majority. Sadr followers denied that, but they said the cleric has asked them to reach out to rival Sunni groups.
The threat to the Maliki government comes as sectarian violence appears to be on the rise. On five of the last seven days, the number of unidentified bodies found on Baghdad's streets has surpassed 25, a significant increase over previous weeks.
But dissent is coming not only from Sunnis. Sadr, too, was expressing dissatisfaction, which could threaten the government. At issue were Maliki's delay in replacing six Sadrists who walked out of his Cabinet last month to protest the arrests of fighters from Sadr's Mahdi Army and his refusal to set a deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw. Maliki still hasn't named replacements for the six ministers, though an aide said those nominations could come this week.
Now Sadr is calling for talks with Sunnis who are bitterly opposed to the Maliki government, including Harith al-Thari, the head of the Muslim Scholars Association. An aide to Maliki, speaking on condition that his name not be used because of the sensitivity of the topic, said even if Sadr were to withdraw from the United Iraqi Alliance coalition, giving it less than a majority, the prime minister could still triumph in parliament votes.
Kurdish members of parliament would stick with the prime minister on pivotal matters, and his fellow Shiites would be unlikely to bolt.
"The Sadrists would not leave," he said. "There is no other parliamentary bloc they would join." Still Sunni parliament members say the government is reaching a crisis. "It would be unfortunate if we gave Maliki an ultimatum and he either ignored it or was unable to commit to it," said Omar Abdul Sattar, a Sunni member of parliament and a senior member of the Iraqi Islamic Party.
But Sunni politicians said Tuesday that they're serious about pulling out of parliament over what they say is Maliki's reluctance to share power. Maliki is a Shiite.
Meanwhile, rumors are swirling that loyalists of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr also are considering breaking away from the Shiites' United Iraqi Alliance in the legislature, a move that would rob that ruling political bloc of its slim majority. Sadr followers denied that, but they said the cleric has asked them to reach out to rival Sunni groups.
The threat to the Maliki government comes as sectarian violence appears to be on the rise. On five of the last seven days, the number of unidentified bodies found on Baghdad's streets has surpassed 25, a significant increase over previous weeks.
But dissent is coming not only from Sunnis. Sadr, too, was expressing dissatisfaction, which could threaten the government. At issue were Maliki's delay in replacing six Sadrists who walked out of his Cabinet last month to protest the arrests of fighters from Sadr's Mahdi Army and his refusal to set a deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw. Maliki still hasn't named replacements for the six ministers, though an aide said those nominations could come this week.
Now Sadr is calling for talks with Sunnis who are bitterly opposed to the Maliki government, including Harith al-Thari, the head of the Muslim Scholars Association. An aide to Maliki, speaking on condition that his name not be used because of the sensitivity of the topic, said even if Sadr were to withdraw from the United Iraqi Alliance coalition, giving it less than a majority, the prime minister could still triumph in parliament votes.
Kurdish members of parliament would stick with the prime minister on pivotal matters, and his fellow Shiites would be unlikely to bolt.
"The Sadrists would not leave," he said. "There is no other parliamentary bloc they would join." Still Sunni parliament members say the government is reaching a crisis. "It would be unfortunate if we gave Maliki an ultimatum and he either ignored it or was unable to commit to it," said Omar Abdul Sattar, a Sunni member of parliament and a senior member of the Iraqi Islamic Party.
Labels: government, Iraq, Iraqi Islamic Party, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Muslim Scholars Association, politics, United Iraqi Alliance
Al-Hashimi, Maliki meeting eases tensions
Politics
(CNN) - A meeting Tuesday between Iraq's Shiite prime minister and the country's top Sunni official appeared to ease tensions over threats that the entire Sunni bloc could pull out of the government. "The meeting was necessary to melt the ice that was accumulated over the brotherhood between me and my brother, the prime minister," said Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, after meeting with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
Al-Hashimi previously told CNN if key amendments to the Iraq Constitution are not made by May 15, he will step down and pull his 44 Sunni politicians out of the 275-member Iraqi parliament. Al-Hashimi's cooperation with the Shiite-led government is considered essential if there is to be a realistic chance of bridging the Shiite-Sunni divide in Iraq -- one of the key goals of the Bush administration.
The rhetoric the two imparted to reporters about the meeting included imagery of brotherhood, words that belied recent Sunni frustration over issues such as constitutional reform and the failure to be consulted by the government on security matters. Fostering support among Sunnis is a major effort for the government, which held power in Iraq throughout the Saddam Hussein era. Many of the insurgents in the country -- which has a Shiite majority -- are Sunni militants and supporters of Hussein's Baathist party.
Al-Maliki said the pair reviewed security and political issues. "Our brother, Mr. Vice-President, is one of makers of the political reality in Iraq," al-Maliki said. "Our meeting was blessed and good in discussing and reviewing the cases of mutual importance and responsibility within the frame of the program which was approved by the political partnership to be used in running the country and facing the crises."
He said he didn't hear of any intention to leave the government from his "brother." "We don't have guarantees between us, but there is a process of reviewing to put back everything to the right track," al-Maliki said. "Guarantees without being on the right track are worthless." Al-Hashimi, meanwhile, said the meeting was frank but "encouraging and productive" and "that we are able to build a promising future based on the real partnership and mutual trust, which is very important to make the political project going on toward the good."
Al-Hashimi previously told CNN if key amendments to the Iraq Constitution are not made by May 15, he will step down and pull his 44 Sunni politicians out of the 275-member Iraqi parliament. Al-Hashimi's cooperation with the Shiite-led government is considered essential if there is to be a realistic chance of bridging the Shiite-Sunni divide in Iraq -- one of the key goals of the Bush administration.
The rhetoric the two imparted to reporters about the meeting included imagery of brotherhood, words that belied recent Sunni frustration over issues such as constitutional reform and the failure to be consulted by the government on security matters. Fostering support among Sunnis is a major effort for the government, which held power in Iraq throughout the Saddam Hussein era. Many of the insurgents in the country -- which has a Shiite majority -- are Sunni militants and supporters of Hussein's Baathist party.
Al-Maliki said the pair reviewed security and political issues. "Our brother, Mr. Vice-President, is one of makers of the political reality in Iraq," al-Maliki said. "Our meeting was blessed and good in discussing and reviewing the cases of mutual importance and responsibility within the frame of the program which was approved by the political partnership to be used in running the country and facing the crises."
He said he didn't hear of any intention to leave the government from his "brother." "We don't have guarantees between us, but there is a process of reviewing to put back everything to the right track," al-Maliki said. "Guarantees without being on the right track are worthless." Al-Hashimi, meanwhile, said the meeting was frank but "encouraging and productive" and "that we are able to build a promising future based on the real partnership and mutual trust, which is very important to make the political project going on toward the good."
Labels: Iraq, Iraqi Islamic Party, Nouri Al-Maliki, politics, Tariq al-Hashimi
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Al-Hashimi sets deadline to withdraw his entire bloc from government
Politics
(CNN) - Iraq's top Sunni official has set a deadline of next week for pulling his entire bloc out of the government -- a potentially devastating blow to reconciliation efforts within Iraq. He also said he turned down an offer by President Bush to visit Washington until he can count more fully on U.S. help. Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi made his comments in an interview with CNN. He said if key amendments to the Iraq Constitution are not made by May 15, he will step down and pull his 44 Sunni politicians out of the 275-member Iraqi parliament.
"If the constitution is not subject to major changes, definitely, I will tell my constituency frankly that I have made the mistake of my life when I put my endorsement to that national accord," he said. Specifically, he wants guarantees in the constitution that the country won't be split into Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish federal states that he says will disadvantage Sunnis.
Al-Hashimi's cooperation with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government is widely seen as essential if there is to be a realistic chance of bridging the Shiite-Sunni divide in Iraq -- one of the key goals of the Bush administration. The withdrawal of the Sunni bloc would unravel months of efforts to foster political participation by Sunnis in Iraq's government. It also would further weaken al-Maliki just weeks after Shiite Cabinet ministers allied with Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr bolted from the government.
Al-Hashimi's Iraqi Islamic Party was key in getting Sunnis out to vote in the December 2005 election. Sunnis had been reluctant to take part in the political process, and many were only convinced to do so with the promise of changes to the Iraqi Constitution. Al-Hashimi said the United States co-signed those changes, and now a year and a half later nothing has been done.
Without a change to the constitution, he said, "The situation would be a disaster for Iraq." He added, "I would like to see the identity of my country, in fact, restored back." Al-Hashimi said he has expressed his concerns to Bush, and that for now he will not travel to the United States unless he knows it will result in action. Al-Hashimi was invited to Washington during a recent phone call with Bush. The Iraqi leader said he was "very clear" to Bush that "our [Sunni] participation is quite unfortunately becoming meaningless." Bush and al-Hashimi have met once before in Washington, in December.
Al-Hashimi said that his patience is running thin with the government's failure to promote reconciliation and that he feels he is not consulted regularly on key decisions. In addition, he said, he sees growing frustrations within the Sunni community that they are being left out of the political process.
If Sunnis aren't an equal partner in the government, he said, they should say "bye-bye to the political process." Asked if that meant all-out civil war with Shiites, he said no. "I'm not saying that I'm going to war," he said, adding he would not encourage his bloc to get involved with "any sort of violence whatsoever." At the same time, he said Sunnis will be "frustrated" and people will "think on other alternatives." But he said he'd also prefer not to reach that point.
"If the constitution is not subject to major changes, definitely, I will tell my constituency frankly that I have made the mistake of my life when I put my endorsement to that national accord," he said. Specifically, he wants guarantees in the constitution that the country won't be split into Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish federal states that he says will disadvantage Sunnis.
Al-Hashimi's cooperation with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government is widely seen as essential if there is to be a realistic chance of bridging the Shiite-Sunni divide in Iraq -- one of the key goals of the Bush administration. The withdrawal of the Sunni bloc would unravel months of efforts to foster political participation by Sunnis in Iraq's government. It also would further weaken al-Maliki just weeks after Shiite Cabinet ministers allied with Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr bolted from the government.
Al-Hashimi's Iraqi Islamic Party was key in getting Sunnis out to vote in the December 2005 election. Sunnis had been reluctant to take part in the political process, and many were only convinced to do so with the promise of changes to the Iraqi Constitution. Al-Hashimi said the United States co-signed those changes, and now a year and a half later nothing has been done.
Without a change to the constitution, he said, "The situation would be a disaster for Iraq." He added, "I would like to see the identity of my country, in fact, restored back." Al-Hashimi said he has expressed his concerns to Bush, and that for now he will not travel to the United States unless he knows it will result in action. Al-Hashimi was invited to Washington during a recent phone call with Bush. The Iraqi leader said he was "very clear" to Bush that "our [Sunni] participation is quite unfortunately becoming meaningless." Bush and al-Hashimi have met once before in Washington, in December.
Al-Hashimi said that his patience is running thin with the government's failure to promote reconciliation and that he feels he is not consulted regularly on key decisions. In addition, he said, he sees growing frustrations within the Sunni community that they are being left out of the political process.
If Sunnis aren't an equal partner in the government, he said, they should say "bye-bye to the political process." Asked if that meant all-out civil war with Shiites, he said no. "I'm not saying that I'm going to war," he said, adding he would not encourage his bloc to get involved with "any sort of violence whatsoever." At the same time, he said Sunnis will be "frustrated" and people will "think on other alternatives." But he said he'd also prefer not to reach that point.
Labels: Iraq constitution, Iraqi Islamic Party, Tariq al-Hashimi
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Al Qaeda leader brands Sunni VP a 'criminal'
Insurgency, Politics
(AP) - Al-Qaida in Iraq released a recording Saturday purportedly of its leader, who had been reported killed in recent fighting, branding the country's Sunni vice president a "criminal" for participating in the government. A suicide bomber, meanwhile, struck an army recruitment center outside Baghdad, killing 15 people — among nearly 40 killed or found dead on Saturday.
The statement by Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was seen as a warning to Sunnis not to join the political process and legitimize the Shiite-led government and its U.S. backers. Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi has resisted calls by fellow leaders of the main Sunni alliance to pull out of the government.
The statement, posted on a militant Web site, did not directly address reports from Iraqi officials that the al-Qaida leader was killed Tuesday by rivals north of Baghdad.
The U.S. military declined to confirm the report of al-Masri's death and believed it stemmed from confusion over the killing of another al-Qaida militant. There was no indication when the 20-minute statement was recorded, although a transcript posted on the Web site was dated Saturday. It could not be independently verified.
In the statement Saturday, al-Masri sharply criticized al-Hashemi for taking part in politics and legitimizing the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whose U.S.-backed security forces are fighting Sunni insurgents and al-Qaida militants. "This criminal relentlessly calls for the occupier to remain," he said, referring to al-Hashemi.
Last week, al-Hashemi spoke to President Bush in a phone call to discuss the Sunni threats to leave the Cabinet. An insurgent statement in March, calling Deputy Prime Minister Salam al-Zubaie a stooge "to the crusader occupiers," was followed a day later by an assassination attempt against the highest-ranking Sunni government official. The latest statement, however, did not call for attacks against the Islamic Party, which, al-Masri said, would only distract his group from its fight against the Shiites and American forces.
"The leaders of the Islamic Party are renegades but we make it clear that we don't want to fight them and be drawn into secondary battles that only serve the occupier and its Shiite associates," he said.
The statement by Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was seen as a warning to Sunnis not to join the political process and legitimize the Shiite-led government and its U.S. backers. Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi has resisted calls by fellow leaders of the main Sunni alliance to pull out of the government.
The statement, posted on a militant Web site, did not directly address reports from Iraqi officials that the al-Qaida leader was killed Tuesday by rivals north of Baghdad.
The U.S. military declined to confirm the report of al-Masri's death and believed it stemmed from confusion over the killing of another al-Qaida militant. There was no indication when the 20-minute statement was recorded, although a transcript posted on the Web site was dated Saturday. It could not be independently verified.
In the statement Saturday, al-Masri sharply criticized al-Hashemi for taking part in politics and legitimizing the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whose U.S.-backed security forces are fighting Sunni insurgents and al-Qaida militants. "This criminal relentlessly calls for the occupier to remain," he said, referring to al-Hashemi.
Last week, al-Hashemi spoke to President Bush in a phone call to discuss the Sunni threats to leave the Cabinet. An insurgent statement in March, calling Deputy Prime Minister Salam al-Zubaie a stooge "to the crusader occupiers," was followed a day later by an assassination attempt against the highest-ranking Sunni government official. The latest statement, however, did not call for attacks against the Islamic Party, which, al-Masri said, would only distract his group from its fight against the Shiites and American forces.
"The leaders of the Islamic Party are renegades but we make it clear that we don't want to fight them and be drawn into secondary battles that only serve the occupier and its Shiite associates," he said.
Labels: Abu Ayyub al-Masri, Al Qaeda in Iraq, Iraqi Islamic Party, Tariq al-Hashemi
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Iraqi politicians divided on timed U.S. troop withdrawal
Politics
(AFP) - Moves in the US Congress to demand a timetable for military withdrawal from Iraq brought mixed reviews from Iraqi members of parliament, some of whom doubted the government’s ability to meet US demands for faster political reconciliation. “The United States is thus admitting it was defeated in Iraq and must withdraw. This should be attributed to the effort and patience of Iraqis,” said Saleh Hassan Issa al-Igaili, an MP loyal to Shiite radical leader Moqtada Al Sadr.
Mahmud Othman, a Kurdish MP, was philosophical about the decision by the Democrats who control Congress: “They have to abide by public opinion. They are preparing the ground for the next election and that is normal in a democracy.” US Democrats have argued that the proposed withdrawal timetable would prod Iraq’s leaders towards political reconciliation, specifically the passage of an equitable oil law and the return of former Baathists to public life.
The House of Representatives approved the bill on Wednesday and the Senate was expected to follow suit in a vote later Thursday. But President George W. Bush has vowed to veto the draft legislation, which would order a pullout of US forces from Iraq to begin from as early as October, and in Baghdad many Iraqi politicians remained sceptical.
“After four years, these things have become much more difficult and our problems are much more complicated,” Othman said. “So I don’t expect these things to be done as fast as the Americans want.” Others saw the legislative wrangling in the United States as a purely domestic matter. “It’s for local consumption” said Omar Abdul-Sattar Mahmud, a Sunni MP from the Iraqi Islamic Party. “However they agree or disagree is their business, not that of the Iraqis,” he said. “What we are concerned with is that there should be real national reconciliation to break the sectarianism.”
Mahmud Othman, a Kurdish MP, was philosophical about the decision by the Democrats who control Congress: “They have to abide by public opinion. They are preparing the ground for the next election and that is normal in a democracy.” US Democrats have argued that the proposed withdrawal timetable would prod Iraq’s leaders towards political reconciliation, specifically the passage of an equitable oil law and the return of former Baathists to public life.
The House of Representatives approved the bill on Wednesday and the Senate was expected to follow suit in a vote later Thursday. But President George W. Bush has vowed to veto the draft legislation, which would order a pullout of US forces from Iraq to begin from as early as October, and in Baghdad many Iraqi politicians remained sceptical.
“After four years, these things have become much more difficult and our problems are much more complicated,” Othman said. “So I don’t expect these things to be done as fast as the Americans want.” Others saw the legislative wrangling in the United States as a purely domestic matter. “It’s for local consumption” said Omar Abdul-Sattar Mahmud, a Sunni MP from the Iraqi Islamic Party. “However they agree or disagree is their business, not that of the Iraqis,” he said. “What we are concerned with is that there should be real national reconciliation to break the sectarianism.”
Labels: Iraqi Islamic Party, Iraqi MPs, Mahmud Othman, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Omar Abdul-Sattar Mahmud, Saleh Hassan Issa al-Igaili, troop withdrawal, U.S.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Iraqi Islamic Party criticises government for lack of security
Security, Politics
(VOI) - The Iraqi Islamic Party announced on Tuesday that two gunmen belonging to the so-called "Islamic State of Iraq" had bombed two of its headquarters in the neighborhoods of al-Ghazaliya and al-Amiriya, west of Baghdad, injuring and killing many people. "The explosions took place a few hours after a statement made by the so-called 'Abu Omar al-Baghdadi,' the leader of the self-styled 'Islamic State of Iraq,' in which he accused the Iraqi Islamic Party of inciting and stirring sedition," the party said on Tuesday in a statement that the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) obtained a copy of on Wednesday.
"While the Iraqi Islamic Party condemns these acts, which only serve the interests of the foreign project, it categorically denies the accusations made by the so-called 'Abu Omar al-Baghdadi,' through which he tried to disguise his hatred for all Iraqis, who have seen his true colors… Inciting and stirring sedition has never been the policy of the party," the statement added.
The party held the Iraqi government responsible for the gross and clear negligence with regards to Baghdad's security file. It also wondered about the role of security forces, following more than two months of the enforcement of the rule of law in Baghdad. The Iraqi Islamic Party, led by Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, is part of the Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF), represented by 44 members in the Iraqi parliament.
Labels: attack, Iraqi Islamic Party, Islamic State of Iraq, politics, security
