Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Allawi won't attend political summit
Politics
(Al-Arabiyah television) - Salim al-Juburi, a spokesman for the Iraqi Accordance Front, told Al-Arabiyah television in an August 12 interview that leaders from the front will likely attend the meeting convened by Prime Minister al-Maliki. Al-Juburi said a number of preparatory meetings have already been held in order to set the agenda for the political summit.
"We feel the meeting is important and it is a step for political reform," al-Juburi said. He added that even if some of its demands are met, that doesn't necessarily mean the front's members will return to their cabinet posts.
Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi will not attend the political summit, Al-Sharqiyah television reported on August 12. The news channel quoted Allawi as saying he will not be able to accept an invitation to attend. It also quoted an unidentified member of Allawi's media office as saying Allawi never received an invitation to attend the meeting.
Meanwhile, Iraqi media reported on August 12 that Kurdistan regional President Mas'ud Barzani has arrived in Baghdad to attend the political summit. Barzani reportedly met on August 12 with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and aides to al-Maliki.
Labels: emergency political summit, Iraqi Accordance Front, Iyad Allawi, Salim al-Juburi
Monday, August 06, 2007
Maliki rejects Accordance Front resignations
Politics
(Al Jazeera) - Iraqi leaders are to hold a crisis summit this week to find ways to heal sectarian splits in the national unity government. A senior Western diplomat said the talks were a "moment of truth" for Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, after he refused to accept the resignation of six Sunni members of his cabinet and agreed to hear their concerns.
The prime minister met Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi president, a Kurd, and Adel Abdel Mehdi, the Shia vice-president, on Sunday to discuss the resignations. Tareq al-Hashemi, who is Iraq's other vice-president and the senior Sunni Arab in the government, was not present. Al-Hashemi has been a regular critic of al-Maliki's alleged sectarian bias, but his Kurdish and Shia colleagues vowed to hold inclusive talks in the coming days.
On Wednesday, the National Concord Front, Iraq's main Sunni political bloc, said it was withdrawing its five ministers and deputy prime minister from the government coalition, dealing a blow to the government's claims to represent all Iraqis. After Sunday's meeting, al-Maliki said: "We agreed on making efforts in order to get the Concord Front back and to tackle what we are able to tackle, but not everything that they have demanded."
Abdel Mehdi said: "The prime minister's position is that he has refused to accept the resignations. This is a good thing and the door is open to discuss this topic." Salim al-Jibouri, a senior member of parliament from the front, said the ministers would still quit, despite al-Maliki's decision not to accept their resignations. He said: "We are insisting on our position. For us, the matter does not end with Maliki accepting or rejecting the resignations.
The prime minister met Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi president, a Kurd, and Adel Abdel Mehdi, the Shia vice-president, on Sunday to discuss the resignations. Tareq al-Hashemi, who is Iraq's other vice-president and the senior Sunni Arab in the government, was not present. Al-Hashemi has been a regular critic of al-Maliki's alleged sectarian bias, but his Kurdish and Shia colleagues vowed to hold inclusive talks in the coming days.
On Wednesday, the National Concord Front, Iraq's main Sunni political bloc, said it was withdrawing its five ministers and deputy prime minister from the government coalition, dealing a blow to the government's claims to represent all Iraqis. After Sunday's meeting, al-Maliki said: "We agreed on making efforts in order to get the Concord Front back and to tackle what we are able to tackle, but not everything that they have demanded."
Abdel Mehdi said: "The prime minister's position is that he has refused to accept the resignations. This is a good thing and the door is open to discuss this topic." Salim al-Jibouri, a senior member of parliament from the front, said the ministers would still quit, despite al-Maliki's decision not to accept their resignations. He said: "We are insisting on our position. For us, the matter does not end with Maliki accepting or rejecting the resignations.
"We are talking about a programme. The issue is if he accepts or refuses to accept our programme." The programme refers to the front's lists of demands that include disbanding Shia fighters and giving the bloc a bigger say in security matters. Saleem Abdullah, a spokesman for the front, said: "At the moment, we have no intention of changing our position on the resignations. It is not necessary for us to be a part of the government." However, Abdulllah also said "the door to dialogue is open, even if we are outside the government".
Labels: Adel Abdel Mahdi, Iraqi Accordance Front, Jalal Talabani, Nouri Al-Maliki, Saleem Abdullah, Salim al-Juburi, Tawafuq Front
Friday, August 03, 2007
IAF spokesman accuses Maliki of running a 'non-inclusive' govt
Politics
(RFE/RL) - Iraqi Accordance Front spokesman Salim al-Juburi told Al-Jazeera television in an August 2 interview that the Sunni-led bloc's withdrawal from the Iraqi cabinet sent a clear message to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on the importance of inclusion. "The front is an important factor [in the political landscape] that cannot be ignored, and what is significant about its withdrawal is that it stripped the al-Maliki government of its status as a national-unity government," al-Juburi said.
"What matters is that the government failed in creating a partnership [with Sunni Arabs], and this is a lesson that all future governments must understand," he added. The Accordance Front has long accused al-Maliki of keeping its members out of the decision-making process. Al-Juburi accused the U.S. administration of trying to make the Iraqi political process appear successful at any cost, regardless of the level of actual Sunni Arab participation. Al-Juburi told Al-Jazeera that the front's members in parliament will remain on the job, adding that the front believes it can use the parliamentarians to pressure the government to follow through with needed reforms.
Labels: Iraqi Accordance Front, Iraqi government, Nouri Al-Maliki, Salim al-Juburi, Tawafuq Front
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Brothers of Iraqi Accordance Front spokesman killed
Security, Politics
(VOI) Unidentified gunmen killed on Wednesday two brothers of the parliament member and spokesman for the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front, Salim al-Juburi, a police source said. "Unidentified gunmen shot and killed on Wednesday morning two brothers of parliament member Salim al-Juburi in al-Mualmen neighborhood in Muqdadiya district," a police source said.
The mainly Sunni district of Muqdadiya, Diala province, is 100km northeast of Baghdad. Later, Al-Juburi told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) over the phone that his brothers were killed in Muqdadiya district when unidentified gunmen attacked them there. "They died on the spot", he added. Al-Juburi has a doctorate in law and worked as a law professor in Diala University. Al-Juburi is the spokesman for the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF), which has 44 seats out of 275-member parliament.
Labels: Iraqi Accordance Front, Muqdadiya, Salim al-Juburi
