Monday, July 02, 2007
Sadrists criticise efforts to form new Shiite-Kurdish coalition
Politics
(AP) - Followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Saturday criticized efforts to form a new coalition of leading Shiite and Kurdish parties, saying isolating political groups was not the solution to Iraq's turmoil. Talk of a new coalition is widely seen as an effort to sideline al-Sadr's anti-American movement, that holds 30 seats in the 275-member parliament. Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia has been blamed for much of the sectarian killings that have claimed thousands of lives.
"This is a partial agreement that means isolating other groups and no one should be isolated," Nassar al-Rubaie, a Sadrist lawmaker, said. "The only solution to Iraq's problems is to set up a national unity government made up of technocrats and not divided on sectarian basis." Another Sadrist lawmaker suggested that the Americans want a political realignment to approve "benchmark" legislation to distribute oil revenue, hold provincial elections and overhauling rules that removed thousands of Saddam Hussein loyalists from their jobs.
"This is not a political bloc," said Nasser al-Saidi. "It is a bloc to gather the largest number of members of parliament to approve laws..." The Sadrists also expressed reservations about a statement made by President Jalal Talabani that more executive powers would be given to the Sunnis.
Speaking at a Socialist conference Friday in Switzerland, Talabani said an agreement has been reached between the presidential council, which includes the Kurdish president and his Sunni and Shiite deputies, and the prime minister to form a "joint leadership in accordance with the constitution that says that the executive authority is made up of the presidency and Cabinet."
"By this, the complaint that Sunni Arabs are deprived from playing a leading role is solved," Talabani said. "We are against giving powers to the presidential council because this will paralyze the government as the decisions will be in the hand of more than one person," al-Rubaie said. "We are a parliamentary system and the decision is in the hands of the prime minister."
Efforts to form a new government coalition have intensified because of major rifts within the Iraqi government, which the U.S. had hoped would bring together Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. Instead, the government is riveted with divisions.
In April, the six Cabinet ministers loyal to al-Sadr walked out of the government in protest after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki rejected calls for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces. Two weeks ago, the 30 Sadrist lawmakers announced they would stay away from parliament until the government comes up with a plan to rebuild a Shiite shrine in Samarra devastated by bombs. This week, four Sunni ministers said they will boycott Cabinet meetings to protest the way al-Maliki handled legal proceedings against one of their Sunni colleagues under investigation in a 2005 assassination attempt.
"This is a partial agreement that means isolating other groups and no one should be isolated," Nassar al-Rubaie, a Sadrist lawmaker, said. "The only solution to Iraq's problems is to set up a national unity government made up of technocrats and not divided on sectarian basis." Another Sadrist lawmaker suggested that the Americans want a political realignment to approve "benchmark" legislation to distribute oil revenue, hold provincial elections and overhauling rules that removed thousands of Saddam Hussein loyalists from their jobs.
"This is not a political bloc," said Nasser al-Saidi. "It is a bloc to gather the largest number of members of parliament to approve laws..." The Sadrists also expressed reservations about a statement made by President Jalal Talabani that more executive powers would be given to the Sunnis.
Speaking at a Socialist conference Friday in Switzerland, Talabani said an agreement has been reached between the presidential council, which includes the Kurdish president and his Sunni and Shiite deputies, and the prime minister to form a "joint leadership in accordance with the constitution that says that the executive authority is made up of the presidency and Cabinet."
"By this, the complaint that Sunni Arabs are deprived from playing a leading role is solved," Talabani said. "We are against giving powers to the presidential council because this will paralyze the government as the decisions will be in the hand of more than one person," al-Rubaie said. "We are a parliamentary system and the decision is in the hands of the prime minister."
Efforts to form a new government coalition have intensified because of major rifts within the Iraqi government, which the U.S. had hoped would bring together Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. Instead, the government is riveted with divisions.
In April, the six Cabinet ministers loyal to al-Sadr walked out of the government in protest after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki rejected calls for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces. Two weeks ago, the 30 Sadrist lawmakers announced they would stay away from parliament until the government comes up with a plan to rebuild a Shiite shrine in Samarra devastated by bombs. This week, four Sunni ministers said they will boycott Cabinet meetings to protest the way al-Maliki handled legal proceedings against one of their Sunni colleagues under investigation in a 2005 assassination attempt.
Labels: Kurds, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Nassar al-Rubaie, political coalition, Shias
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Iraqi Shias turned away from Jordan
Region
(Al Jazeera) - The Iranian influence on Shia communities in Iraq, Lebanon and other parts of the Muslim world has become a serious concern of the governments and people of Arab and Muslim countries. Accusations against Iran, of meddling in Arab countries' internal affairs using its influence among Shia Arabs, have been surging in the light of increasing indications that Shia Iran is promoting its sect among Sunni Arabs to boost its regional role.
In Jordan, a predominantly Sunni Muslim country, members of parliament have voiced their fears of some active Shia agents working on convincing poor Jordanian families to embrace the Shia sect. Khalid al-Bazaiya, a Jordanian MP, told Aljazeera.net: "We informed the prime minister. I cannot say we have the material evidence yet, however, we cannot say the Shia missionary activities do not exist in Jordan."
According to the Iraqi ministry of foreign affairs, many Iraqis were banned from entering Jordan in the past two weeks because they were Shia. Labid Abbawi, deputy minister of foreign affairs, said on Tuesday: "Iraqi nationals have been asked whether they were Sunni or Shia by Jordanian borders agents. We had dealt with this issue some months ago, and the Jordanian authorities responded quickly; we do not know why the same thing is happening again."
In Jordan, a predominantly Sunni Muslim country, members of parliament have voiced their fears of some active Shia agents working on convincing poor Jordanian families to embrace the Shia sect. Khalid al-Bazaiya, a Jordanian MP, told Aljazeera.net: "We informed the prime minister. I cannot say we have the material evidence yet, however, we cannot say the Shia missionary activities do not exist in Jordan."
According to the Iraqi ministry of foreign affairs, many Iraqis were banned from entering Jordan in the past two weeks because they were Shia. Labid Abbawi, deputy minister of foreign affairs, said on Tuesday: "Iraqi nationals have been asked whether they were Sunni or Shia by Jordanian borders agents. We had dealt with this issue some months ago, and the Jordanian authorities responded quickly; we do not know why the same thing is happening again."
Labels: Iran, Jordan, Khalid al-Bazaiya, Shias
Monday, March 05, 2007
Sunnis turn on each other as some support reconciliation with Shias
Security
(Al Jazeera) Six Sunni men, who received death threats for meeting with local Shias, have been killed in execution-style slayings in a rising wave of sectarian violence, Iraqi police and military said. The attack on Saturday near Youssifiyah, 20 km south of the capital Baghdad, comes a day after the claimed abduction and execution of at least 14 Shias.
But in this case, Iraqi authorities said they believed that Sunni gunmen had killed fellow Sunnis revealing a rift between those who support reconciliation with Shias and those who will kill to stop it. Also on Saturday, three US soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb that exploded while they were on patrol in central Baghdad, the military said.
An adviser to Iraq's defence ministry was kidnapped in western Baghdad, an aide to Adnan al-Dulaimi, the head of the largest Sunni bloc in parliament, said. Lieutenant General Thamir Sultan hails from Saddam Hussein's tribe and had been mentioned as a possible defense minister when the current government was organised last year. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to release the information.
Earlier, the US military said it killed "key terrorists" who were using anti-aircraft artillery to fire at American military helicopters near Taji, north of Baghdad.
The Iraqi men gunned down Saturday - all relatives from the Mashhada tribe - were killed after gunmen stormed the family's house at dawn, Haider Satar, an Iraqi policeman, said. The victims in Youssifiyah were separated from women and children and shot dead in their home, Satar said. Captain Ahmed al-Obeidi, from the Iraqi army, whose unit is stationed near the site of the attack, also confirmed the incident.
The bodies were transferred to a hospital morgue in the neighbouring town of Mahmoudiyah, where Associated Press Television footage showed them wrapped in blankets and lined up on the metal floor of a refrigeration chamber. At least two had their hands tied and bound behind their backs. The motive of the brutal attack could not be independently verified. But police, citing information from surviving relatives, said the victims had received threats from Sunni gunmen after participating in a reconciliation conference with Shias last month. The conference was held in Mahmoudiyah in late February.
But in this case, Iraqi authorities said they believed that Sunni gunmen had killed fellow Sunnis revealing a rift between those who support reconciliation with Shias and those who will kill to stop it. Also on Saturday, three US soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb that exploded while they were on patrol in central Baghdad, the military said.
An adviser to Iraq's defence ministry was kidnapped in western Baghdad, an aide to Adnan al-Dulaimi, the head of the largest Sunni bloc in parliament, said. Lieutenant General Thamir Sultan hails from Saddam Hussein's tribe and had been mentioned as a possible defense minister when the current government was organised last year. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to release the information.
Earlier, the US military said it killed "key terrorists" who were using anti-aircraft artillery to fire at American military helicopters near Taji, north of Baghdad.
The Iraqi men gunned down Saturday - all relatives from the Mashhada tribe - were killed after gunmen stormed the family's house at dawn, Haider Satar, an Iraqi policeman, said. The victims in Youssifiyah were separated from women and children and shot dead in their home, Satar said. Captain Ahmed al-Obeidi, from the Iraqi army, whose unit is stationed near the site of the attack, also confirmed the incident.
The bodies were transferred to a hospital morgue in the neighbouring town of Mahmoudiyah, where Associated Press Television footage showed them wrapped in blankets and lined up on the metal floor of a refrigeration chamber. At least two had their hands tied and bound behind their backs. The motive of the brutal attack could not be independently verified. But police, citing information from surviving relatives, said the victims had received threats from Sunni gunmen after participating in a reconciliation conference with Shias last month. The conference was held in Mahmoudiyah in late February.
Labels: execution, Lieutenant General Thamir Sultan, Mashhada tribe, reconciliation, Shias, Sunnis, Youssifiyah
