Thursday, July 19, 2007
Sunni MPs end parliament boycott
Politics
(AP) - Sunni lawmakers ended their five-week boycott of parliament Thursday, raising hopes the factious assembly can make progress on benchmark legislation demanded by Washington. The U.S. said two American soldiers have been charged with killing an Iraqi. Also Thursday, the U.S. command announced the deaths of five American soldiers. Four soldiers and their Iraqi interpreter were killed Wednesday in a roadside bombing in east Baghdad and one soldier was killed Friday by small arms fire near Rusdi Mulla, just to the southwest of the city.
The 44 members of the Iraqi Accordance Front attended Thursday's session after striking a deal with other blocs to reinstate the Sunni speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who was ousted by the Shiite-dominated assembly last month for erratic behavior. Al-Mashhadani is expected to gracefully resign after presiding over a number of sessions. Shiite legislator Hassan al-Suneid, an aide to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said al-Mashhadani's return came after secret conditions that should not be made public.
However, one official said al-Mashhadani has until Wednesday to step down or parliament will force him out. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. "We all have to work together to rescue Iraq from the catastrophe which has befallen it," Sunni leader Adnan al-Dulaimi told parliament. "This is the first step in solving the Iraqi problem and in stopping the bloodshed."
The Sunnis ended their walkout two days after Shiite lawmakers loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ended their boycott after officials accepted their demands for rebuilding a Shiite shrine damaged by bombings. Those two boycotts had paralyzed the 275-member parliament, which is under strong criticism from U.S. critics for failing to approve key legislation and for plans to take a month's vacation in August at a time when American and Iraqi troops are dying on the battlefield.
The sensitivities displayed by both the Accordance Front and al-Sadr's allies indicates the depth of suspicion and sectarian rivalry prevalent in Iraq after more than four years of war.
Meanwhile, American and Iraqi forces were continuing operations to clear Sunni extremists from the eastern part of Baqouba, 35 miles north of Baghdad, the U.S. said. U.S. troops killed three al-Qaida suspects Thursday as they tried to slip out of the city, Iraqi security officials said. Clashes occurred during the day as American and Iraqi forces moved through the streets, securing buildings and clearing explosives. One insurgent explosives expert led U.S. and Iraqi troops to a bombs cache hidden in two homes of Shiites who had fled sectarian tension, police said.
The 44 members of the Iraqi Accordance Front attended Thursday's session after striking a deal with other blocs to reinstate the Sunni speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who was ousted by the Shiite-dominated assembly last month for erratic behavior. Al-Mashhadani is expected to gracefully resign after presiding over a number of sessions. Shiite legislator Hassan al-Suneid, an aide to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said al-Mashhadani's return came after secret conditions that should not be made public.
However, one official said al-Mashhadani has until Wednesday to step down or parliament will force him out. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. "We all have to work together to rescue Iraq from the catastrophe which has befallen it," Sunni leader Adnan al-Dulaimi told parliament. "This is the first step in solving the Iraqi problem and in stopping the bloodshed."
The Sunnis ended their walkout two days after Shiite lawmakers loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ended their boycott after officials accepted their demands for rebuilding a Shiite shrine damaged by bombings. Those two boycotts had paralyzed the 275-member parliament, which is under strong criticism from U.S. critics for failing to approve key legislation and for plans to take a month's vacation in August at a time when American and Iraqi troops are dying on the battlefield.
The sensitivities displayed by both the Accordance Front and al-Sadr's allies indicates the depth of suspicion and sectarian rivalry prevalent in Iraq after more than four years of war.
Meanwhile, American and Iraqi forces were continuing operations to clear Sunni extremists from the eastern part of Baqouba, 35 miles north of Baghdad, the U.S. said. U.S. troops killed three al-Qaida suspects Thursday as they tried to slip out of the city, Iraqi security officials said. Clashes occurred during the day as American and Iraqi forces moved through the streets, securing buildings and clearing explosives. One insurgent explosives expert led U.S. and Iraqi troops to a bombs cache hidden in two homes of Shiites who had fled sectarian tension, police said.
U.S. troops regained control of the western half of the city last month and launched operations into the rest of Baqouba on Tuesday. Since last month, the Americans said they have killed at least 67 al-Qaida operatives in Baqouba, arrested 253, seized 63 weapons caches and have destroyed 151 roadside bombs.
In western Iraq, residents said assailants blew up two bridges in Haditha overnight. The bridges connect Haditha with Anah, about 160 miles northwest of the capital. The American forces are blocking the area now looking for those involved in the operation. The residents spoke on condition of anonymity out of fears for their safety.
In western Iraq, residents said assailants blew up two bridges in Haditha overnight. The bridges connect Haditha with Anah, about 160 miles northwest of the capital. The American forces are blocking the area now looking for those involved in the operation. The residents spoke on condition of anonymity out of fears for their safety.
Labels: Adnan Dulaimi, Anah, Baqouba, bridges, Haditha, Iraqi Accordance Front, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, Sadrist bloc
Monday, July 09, 2007
Talabani says solution reached to end Sunni political boycott
Politics
(Voices of Iraq article) - Iraqi President Jalal al-Talabani said on Sunday that solutions were reached to end the Sunni Accordance boycott of the parliament and cabinet in a meeting attended by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Talabani and his two deputies.
"Solutions to end the Tawafuq (Accordance) Front's boycott were reached in today's meeting and these solutions will become effective in the next two or three days," Talabani told a news conference following the meeting. The Iraqi president added, "the proposed solutions were meant to end Tawafuk's parliamentary and cabinet boycott." Tabalani did not give further details of the solutions.
The Sunni Tawafuq Front, holding 44 seats out of the total of 275 in the Iraqi parliament, boycotted sessions of parliament and cabinet following a move by other parliamentary blocs to give House Speaker Mahmuod al-Mashhadani, a Tawafuq member, a long vacation and to demand a replacement.
Further, the Sunni front also protested an arrest warrant issued against its member, culture minister Assad al-Hashemi, on alleged charges of being behind the murder of two of the sons of the National Party member Mithal al-Alousi in 2004.
"Solutions to end the Tawafuq (Accordance) Front's boycott were reached in today's meeting and these solutions will become effective in the next two or three days," Talabani told a news conference following the meeting. The Iraqi president added, "the proposed solutions were meant to end Tawafuk's parliamentary and cabinet boycott." Tabalani did not give further details of the solutions.
The Sunni Tawafuq Front, holding 44 seats out of the total of 275 in the Iraqi parliament, boycotted sessions of parliament and cabinet following a move by other parliamentary blocs to give House Speaker Mahmuod al-Mashhadani, a Tawafuq member, a long vacation and to demand a replacement.
Further, the Sunni front also protested an arrest warrant issued against its member, culture minister Assad al-Hashemi, on alleged charges of being behind the murder of two of the sons of the National Party member Mithal al-Alousi in 2004.
Labels: Assad al-Hashemi, Iraqi Accordance Front, Jalal Talabani, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, Nouri Al-Maliki, Tawafuq Front
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Hashemi hints at more drastic steps to be taken by the Accordance Front
Politics
(Reuters) -- Iraq's main Sunni Arab bloc that is boycotting cabinet meetings in protest at being sidelined in the unity government may adopt new drastic tactics to win fairer treatment, Vice President Tarek al-Hashemi said on Monday. Hashemi, a key member of the Sunni Accordance Front, told Reuters in an interview that Iraq no longer had a government of national unity comprised of Shi'ites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds.
"We haven't achieved anything after a year of participating in the government. We are depressed and sidelined, especially in terms of decision-making," said Hashemi, one of two vice presidents in Iraq. The other is Shi'ite. Asked what the Accordance Front would do next, Hashemi said: "I will not talk about this matter because the time for talking has ended. I will let our actions do the talking for us," he said.
"We started by suspending our participation in cabinet and if there is no real response from our partners in this government over our suggestions and reservations, we as the Accordance Front will take (other) measures." His words underscored deep frustration at a political process that has failed to reconcile majority Shi'ites with minority Sunni Arabs. Besides holding six cabinet posts in the 35-member administration, the Accordance Front has 44 seats in the 275-member parliament.
It does not have the numbers to bring down the government, but its absence from cabinet and parliament makes it increasingly hard for Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to portray his administration as a unity government. The Front suspended its participation in cabinet last week, mainly over legal steps being taken against the culture minister, one of its six members in the Shi'ite-led government.
That move followed a boycott of parliament a week earlier in response to the ousting of the Sunni speaker. Hashemi insisted that Mahmoud Mashhadani would return as speaker of parliament in the near future, despite a parliament vote last month that removed him following what some officials described as his "rude" behaviour to other legislators.
Hashemi did not elaborate, but added there were more important things for parliament to do than argue over who should be sitting in the speaker's chair. Maliki insists his government is working hard toward national reconciliation. He has also urged the Accordance Front to cancel its decision to boycott cabinet meetings. Hasan al-Senaid, a senior Shi'ite politician close to Maliki, accused the Sunnis over the weekend of politicising the legal steps against Culture Minister Asaad Kamal Hashemi.
The government's spokesman has said an arrest warrant had been issued for the minister over a murder investigation. The minister is in hiding, but Sunni politicians have denied he committed any wrongdoing. Police and court officials have not been able to confirm such a warrant has been issued. Vice President Hashemi also urged the United States not to withdraw American troops prematurely from Iraq.
"We haven't achieved anything after a year of participating in the government. We are depressed and sidelined, especially in terms of decision-making," said Hashemi, one of two vice presidents in Iraq. The other is Shi'ite. Asked what the Accordance Front would do next, Hashemi said: "I will not talk about this matter because the time for talking has ended. I will let our actions do the talking for us," he said.
"We started by suspending our participation in cabinet and if there is no real response from our partners in this government over our suggestions and reservations, we as the Accordance Front will take (other) measures." His words underscored deep frustration at a political process that has failed to reconcile majority Shi'ites with minority Sunni Arabs. Besides holding six cabinet posts in the 35-member administration, the Accordance Front has 44 seats in the 275-member parliament.
It does not have the numbers to bring down the government, but its absence from cabinet and parliament makes it increasingly hard for Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to portray his administration as a unity government. The Front suspended its participation in cabinet last week, mainly over legal steps being taken against the culture minister, one of its six members in the Shi'ite-led government.
That move followed a boycott of parliament a week earlier in response to the ousting of the Sunni speaker. Hashemi insisted that Mahmoud Mashhadani would return as speaker of parliament in the near future, despite a parliament vote last month that removed him following what some officials described as his "rude" behaviour to other legislators.
Hashemi did not elaborate, but added there were more important things for parliament to do than argue over who should be sitting in the speaker's chair. Maliki insists his government is working hard toward national reconciliation. He has also urged the Accordance Front to cancel its decision to boycott cabinet meetings. Hasan al-Senaid, a senior Shi'ite politician close to Maliki, accused the Sunnis over the weekend of politicising the legal steps against Culture Minister Asaad Kamal Hashemi.
The government's spokesman has said an arrest warrant had been issued for the minister over a murder investigation. The minister is in hiding, but Sunni politicians have denied he committed any wrongdoing. Police and court officials have not been able to confirm such a warrant has been issued. Vice President Hashemi also urged the United States not to withdraw American troops prematurely from Iraq.
Labels: Asaad Kamal Hashemi, Iraqi Accordance Front, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, Tareq al-Hashemi
Monday, June 25, 2007
Sunni Arab blocs boycott parliament as Sunni speaker is not reinstated
Politics
(AP) - Parliament's two Sunni Arab blocs boycotted the 275-seat house on Sunday because the Sunni speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, was not reinstated as they demanded. Muhannad al-Issawi, a spokesman for Adnan al-Dulaimi, leader of the Iraqi Accordance Front, had said that the 44-seat bloc decided in a meeting Saturday to demand that al-Mashhadani preside over Sunday's session.
"If the demand is rejected by other blocs, then the Accordance Front will suspend its participation in parliament," al-Issawi had told The Associated Press. The Accordance bloc was joined in the boycott by the National Dialogue Front.
The Shiite-dominated legislature wants al-Mashhadani to step down and has named his Shiite deputy, Khaled al-Attiya, as a temporary replacement. Many legislators viewed al-Mashhandani's erratic behavior as unbecoming and a hindrance to parliament's ability to pass key benchmark legislation as demanded by Washington.
"If the demand is rejected by other blocs, then the Accordance Front will suspend its participation in parliament," al-Issawi had told The Associated Press. The Accordance bloc was joined in the boycott by the National Dialogue Front.
The Shiite-dominated legislature wants al-Mashhadani to step down and has named his Shiite deputy, Khaled al-Attiya, as a temporary replacement. Many legislators viewed al-Mashhandani's erratic behavior as unbecoming and a hindrance to parliament's ability to pass key benchmark legislation as demanded by Washington.
Labels: Iraqi Accordance Front, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, National Dialogue Front
Monday, June 11, 2007
Parliament speaker to be replaced
Politics
(AP) - Parliament voted Monday in a closed session to remove the speaker after a series of scandals involving the controversial lawmaker, legislators said. Mahmoud al-Mashhadani will be replaced by another Sunni Arab, they said. Al-Mashhadani's behavior has repeatedly embarrassed the Sunni Arab partners in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's coalition government. Many of the house's 275 legislators viewed his behavior as unbecoming and, on occasion, erratic.
Three lawmakers said the Iraqi Accordance Front, parliament's largest Sunni Arab bloc with 44 of the house's 275 seats, has pledged to offer a replacement for al-Mashhadani within a week. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. Al-Mashhadani, a former physician and an Islamist, is a member of the Accordance Front and will retain his seat in parliament, according to the decision. He did not attend Monday's session, which was chaired by his deputy, Shiite Khaled al-Attiyah.
The speaker has been in trouble for sometime. Last year, he barely survived a campaign by Shiite and Kurdish politicians to remove him after he said Iraqis who killed American troops should be celebrated as heroes. Last month, he slapped a fellow Sunni lawmaker in the face and called him "scum" at the end of a raucous session.
An incident on Sunday appeared to have been taken by lawmakers as the last straw. Al-Mashhadani got into a shouting match with lawmaker Firyad Mohammed Omar, a Shiite Turkoman, when he complained to the speaker about what he said was the heavy handedness of his personal security guards. Al-Mashhadani responded by heaping abuse at Omar, who complained to fellow legislators that he was also assaulted by al-Mashhadani's guards
Three lawmakers said the Iraqi Accordance Front, parliament's largest Sunni Arab bloc with 44 of the house's 275 seats, has pledged to offer a replacement for al-Mashhadani within a week. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. Al-Mashhadani, a former physician and an Islamist, is a member of the Accordance Front and will retain his seat in parliament, according to the decision. He did not attend Monday's session, which was chaired by his deputy, Shiite Khaled al-Attiyah.
The speaker has been in trouble for sometime. Last year, he barely survived a campaign by Shiite and Kurdish politicians to remove him after he said Iraqis who killed American troops should be celebrated as heroes. Last month, he slapped a fellow Sunni lawmaker in the face and called him "scum" at the end of a raucous session.
An incident on Sunday appeared to have been taken by lawmakers as the last straw. Al-Mashhadani got into a shouting match with lawmaker Firyad Mohammed Omar, a Shiite Turkoman, when he complained to the speaker about what he said was the heavy handedness of his personal security guards. Al-Mashhadani responded by heaping abuse at Omar, who complained to fellow legislators that he was also assaulted by al-Mashhadani's guards
Labels: Firyad Mohammed Omar, Iraqi Accordance Front, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani
Friday, May 11, 2007
Speaker adjourns session after heated argument over deteriorating security situation
Politics
(Voices of Iraq) - The Iraqi House Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani adjourned Thursday's session until this Saturday half an hour after its start following a heated argument between Iraqi parliamentarians over a report on a sit-in staged by Diala residents in the Shiite city of Karbala, protesting the deteriorating security situation in their province and a demand by a woman legislator who branded the government as "weak" to summon the Prime Minister to attend the parliament session for deteriorating security in Iraq.
According to a parliamentary committee assigned to write a report on the situation following a field visit to Karbala, residents of Diala held a sit-in in the street linking the shrines of the third Shiite Imam Hussein and his brother Abbas, calling on the government to improve the security situation in Diala.
The report submitted to the parliament revealed that during one year 11,200 people were killed, 9,500 families displaced, 8,250 women widowed, 16,500 children orphaned, 66 Shiite tombs destroyed, 350 groves set on fire and an equal number looted. The report blamed the U.S. forces for the deteriorating situation in Diala.
Legislator Shatha al-Mousawi, from the Shiite Unified Iraqi Coalition, asked the House Speaker to summon Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki along with interior and defense ministers to attend a special parliamentary session on the deteriorating security situation in Diala province and elsewhere in Iraq. She said the government is "weak." Diala is located in central Iraq, 57 km northeast of Baghdad, whereas Karbala, the second Shiite city after Najaf, is 110 km southwest of Baghdad.
According to a parliamentary committee assigned to write a report on the situation following a field visit to Karbala, residents of Diala held a sit-in in the street linking the shrines of the third Shiite Imam Hussein and his brother Abbas, calling on the government to improve the security situation in Diala.
The report submitted to the parliament revealed that during one year 11,200 people were killed, 9,500 families displaced, 8,250 women widowed, 16,500 children orphaned, 66 Shiite tombs destroyed, 350 groves set on fire and an equal number looted. The report blamed the U.S. forces for the deteriorating situation in Diala.
Legislator Shatha al-Mousawi, from the Shiite Unified Iraqi Coalition, asked the House Speaker to summon Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki along with interior and defense ministers to attend a special parliamentary session on the deteriorating security situation in Diala province and elsewhere in Iraq. She said the government is "weak." Diala is located in central Iraq, 57 km northeast of Baghdad, whereas Karbala, the second Shiite city after Najaf, is 110 km southwest of Baghdad.
Labels: Diala, Karbala, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, politics, security, Shatha al-Mousawi, UIA
Friday, April 13, 2007
Mass events nationwide celebrate Iraqi Communist Party anniversary
Politics
(PWW) - Some 10,000 Baghdad residents packed a sports stadium March 31 to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the Iraqi Communist Party. It was the first mass event in Baghdad in years by any secular democratic group. Similar events took place around the country. In Basra, Iraq's second largest city, 2,000 overflowed a cultural center for a celebration featuring music, poetry and dance.
The throng, including many families, children and youth, was mobilized on three days' notice due to security precautions. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, who heads one of the main Kurdish parties, and Speaker of Parliament Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, of the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front, sent representatives who read greetings. Representatives of a wide spectrum of political parties and civil society organizations also participated. Well-known poets and singers performed, including the head of the Iraqi Writers Union.
The huge turnouts in Baghdad and elsewhere point to a "change of mood among the people, especially the young, towards the Islamic parties," spokesman Salam Ali said. "People are just fed up" with sectarianism and violence. "The Communist Party appeals to people because it is not tainted with corruption and does not have blood on its hands from sectarian killings. People are seeing the party as hope, as a potential alternative, something different."
Slogans for the celebrations emphasized demands for social and economic improvements, women's rights, sovereignty and ending the occupation. They called on the people to fight for their rights, against sectarianism, for national reconciliation and unity. A reporter for the Arab-language newspaper Al-Hayat noted that the big, youthful turnout and culture-rich program in Basra, in southern Iraq, was in sharp contrast to the repressive environment imposed by Islamic parties there. It indicated that young people have "had it" with social and cultural suppression like the smashing of stores selling CDs and movies.
Celebrations also took place in Najaf, Karbala, Nasiriya, Diwaniya, Omarah, Nineveh and Wasit provinces and elsewhere. At least 1,000 turned out in Alqosh, in the northern Nineveh plain near Mosul, a predominantly Christian Chaldean and Assyrian area.
Both the democratic and nationalist trends were weakened by the U.S. occupation's fanning of sectarian division. "Once the American presence is out or weakens, the old political map will come into play -- these big political groups will gradually come back," he said. "This is the real Iraqi political scene. All the nonsense of 'Shia vs. Sunni' doesn't hold much ground."
The ICP sees national reconciliation and unity as necessary to ending foreign occupation and regaining political and economic sovereignty. Sadr draws support from among the poorest and most marginalized people of the countryside and Baghdad's Sadr City. In the Iraqi Communists' view, this underscores the fact that security and sovereignty require immediate economic and social measures to meet the needs of the people including the most downtrodden.
The throng, including many families, children and youth, was mobilized on three days' notice due to security precautions. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, who heads one of the main Kurdish parties, and Speaker of Parliament Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, of the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front, sent representatives who read greetings. Representatives of a wide spectrum of political parties and civil society organizations also participated. Well-known poets and singers performed, including the head of the Iraqi Writers Union.
The huge turnouts in Baghdad and elsewhere point to a "change of mood among the people, especially the young, towards the Islamic parties," spokesman Salam Ali said. "People are just fed up" with sectarianism and violence. "The Communist Party appeals to people because it is not tainted with corruption and does not have blood on its hands from sectarian killings. People are seeing the party as hope, as a potential alternative, something different."
Slogans for the celebrations emphasized demands for social and economic improvements, women's rights, sovereignty and ending the occupation. They called on the people to fight for their rights, against sectarianism, for national reconciliation and unity. A reporter for the Arab-language newspaper Al-Hayat noted that the big, youthful turnout and culture-rich program in Basra, in southern Iraq, was in sharp contrast to the repressive environment imposed by Islamic parties there. It indicated that young people have "had it" with social and cultural suppression like the smashing of stores selling CDs and movies.
Celebrations also took place in Najaf, Karbala, Nasiriya, Diwaniya, Omarah, Nineveh and Wasit provinces and elsewhere. At least 1,000 turned out in Alqosh, in the northern Nineveh plain near Mosul, a predominantly Christian Chaldean and Assyrian area.
Both the democratic and nationalist trends were weakened by the U.S. occupation's fanning of sectarian division. "Once the American presence is out or weakens, the old political map will come into play -- these big political groups will gradually come back," he said. "This is the real Iraqi political scene. All the nonsense of 'Shia vs. Sunni' doesn't hold much ground."
The ICP sees national reconciliation and unity as necessary to ending foreign occupation and regaining political and economic sovereignty. Sadr draws support from among the poorest and most marginalized people of the countryside and Baghdad's Sadr City. In the Iraqi Communists' view, this underscores the fact that security and sovereignty require immediate economic and social measures to meet the needs of the people including the most downtrodden.
Labels: ICP, Iraqi Communist Party, Jalal Talabani, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani
Parliamentary session in defiance of terrorism
Politics, Security
(AP) - Few Iraqi lawmakers managed to attend a rare emergency legislative session Friday, a day after a suicide bomber ripped through their cafeteria in a brazen attack inside Baghdad's U.S.-guarded Green Zone. Both Iraqi and American officials Friday revised down their estimates of those killed in the suicide bombing, which penetrated several layers of security. The U.S. issued a statement saying one civilian was killed.
But Iraqi parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani opened Friday's session by asking members of recite verses from the Quran to mourn the death of a "hero, the parliament member Mohammed Awad." Awad, a Sunni, was a member of the moderate National Dialogue Front. Party leader Saleh al-Mutlaq also confirmed his death, and said a female lawmaker from the same list was wounded.
Friday's emergency meeting had been scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., but began nearly 1.5 hours late, apparently because of low turnout and increased security measures. Many lawmakers were unable to reach the parliament building, whose interior was still in shambles Friday, because of a weekly driving ban on the Muslim day of rest. Mohammed Abu Bakr, head of the parliament's media office said, "the MPs' turnout is very low today because most of them are visiting those who were wounded by the blast," he said.
Parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani called for the session, a rare occurrence on Friday, to "defy terrorism," state television quoted him as saying. State-run Iraqiya television's transmission was draped Friday in a black mourning banner. Regular programming aired, but the screen had a black stripe across the upper left hand corner.
But Iraqi parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani opened Friday's session by asking members of recite verses from the Quran to mourn the death of a "hero, the parliament member Mohammed Awad." Awad, a Sunni, was a member of the moderate National Dialogue Front. Party leader Saleh al-Mutlaq also confirmed his death, and said a female lawmaker from the same list was wounded.
Friday's emergency meeting had been scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., but began nearly 1.5 hours late, apparently because of low turnout and increased security measures. Many lawmakers were unable to reach the parliament building, whose interior was still in shambles Friday, because of a weekly driving ban on the Muslim day of rest. Mohammed Abu Bakr, head of the parliament's media office said, "the MPs' turnout is very low today because most of them are visiting those who were wounded by the blast," he said.
Parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani called for the session, a rare occurrence on Friday, to "defy terrorism," state television quoted him as saying. State-run Iraqiya television's transmission was draped Friday in a black mourning banner. Regular programming aired, but the screen had a black stripe across the upper left hand corner.
Security officials at parliament, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, said they believed the cafeteria bomber was a bodyguard of a Sunni lawmaker who was not among the casualties. Caldwell said the attack bore the trademarks of al-Qaida in Iraq. "We don't know at this point who it was. We do know in the past that suicide vests have been used predominantly by al-Qaida," he said.
It would be the second time in less than a month that a bodyguard wearing a suicide vest attacked a Sunni official. On March 23 a member of Deputy Prime Minister Salam al-Zubaie's security detail exploded his suicide vest and seriously wounded al-Zubaie, the highest-ranking Sunni in the Iraqi government.
It would be the second time in less than a month that a bodyguard wearing a suicide vest attacked a Sunni official. On March 23 a member of Deputy Prime Minister Salam al-Zubaie's security detail exploded his suicide vest and seriously wounded al-Zubaie, the highest-ranking Sunni in the Iraqi government.
Labels: Iraqi parliament, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, Mohammed Awad
