Thursday, August 30, 2007
Al-Sadr calls for halt to attacks on other party offices
Politics, Security
(Voices of Iraq) - In a statement released on Wednesday, Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr urged his followers not to target the offices of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC) and to protect the headquarters of all political parties. "We call on all Sadrists to observe self-restraint, to help security forces control the situation and arrest the perpetrators and sedition mongers, and urge them to end all forms of armament in the sacred city," according to the statement that was read out by al-Sadr's top aide Hazem al-Araji in the holy city of Najaf.
"We call on Sadrists not to target the offices of political parties all over Iraq and the SIIC's offices in Sadr city in particular," the statement indicated. The statement comes after five SIIC's offices in Baghdad and Babel were attacked and burnt in the past two days. The SIIC is led by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, who is also the head of the Shiite Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC), the largest parliamentary bloc with a total of 113 seats in the 275-member parliament. Najaf is located 180 km south of Baghdad.
"We call on Sadrists not to target the offices of political parties all over Iraq and the SIIC's offices in Sadr city in particular," the statement indicated. The statement comes after five SIIC's offices in Baghdad and Babel were attacked and burnt in the past two days. The SIIC is led by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, who is also the head of the Shiite Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC), the largest parliamentary bloc with a total of 113 seats in the 275-member parliament. Najaf is located 180 km south of Baghdad.
Labels: Hazem al-Araji, Moqtada Al-Sadr, SIIC, Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council
Monday, August 20, 2007
Muthanna governor assassinated
Security
(AP) - A roadside bomb killed the governor of the southern Muthanna province on Monday, police said, the second assassination of a top provincial official in just over a week. The blast struck the convoy carrying Mohammed Ali al-Hassani at about 9 a.m., killing him and seriously wounding his office manager and two guards, a police officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information.
On Aug. 11, the governor and police chief of another southern province, Qadasiyah, also were killed in a roadside bombing attack. Both governors were members of the influential Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, a group led by Shiite politician Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim whose loyalists have been fighting the Mahdi Army militia for control of the oil-rich south. Muthanna was the first province that was transferred to Iraqi control last year.
On Aug. 11, the governor and police chief of another southern province, Qadasiyah, also were killed in a roadside bombing attack. Both governors were members of the influential Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, a group led by Shiite politician Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim whose loyalists have been fighting the Mahdi Army militia for control of the oil-rich south. Muthanna was the first province that was transferred to Iraqi control last year.
COMMENT: The SICI and the Badr Organisation are mainly blaming the Mahdi Army for the assassinations of their officials. The Shia parties are locked in a power struggle for domination of the south and as a result this latest assassination could lead to violent clashes between the two rival factions. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: assassination, Mohammed Ali al-Hassani, Muthanna, SICI, Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council
Friday, May 25, 2007
Shura Council in charge while al-Hakim receives treatment
Politics
(RFE/RL) - Hamid Ma'lah, a spokesman for the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC), told Al-Sharqiyah television on May 22 that the party's Shura Council is running the affairs of the party in the absence of Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim, who is in Tehran for cancer treatment. "At present, we have the SIIC's Central Shura committee, which regularly holds meetings to run SIIC affairs. There is no big administrative problem because we have institutions, which are headed by officials, and the SIIC has a central Shura committee that draws the broad outlines of the [party's] work. Work continues as usual," Ma'lah said. He added that if an important matter arises, the party will consult al-Hakim via telephone. Al-Hakim's son, Ammar, who heads the party's Badr Organization, told London-based "Al-Sharq al-Awsat" that it is unlikely he will assume his father's position as head of SIIC in the elder's absence, the daily reported on May 22.
Labels: Abdul Aziz Al Hakim, Ammar al-Hakim, Hamid Ma'lah, Shura Council, SIIC, Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Battle for Basrah
Security
(Reuters) - Basra, the richest city in Iraq and gateway to the Gulf, could erupt into all-out war between rival Shi'ite groups seeking control of its vast oil wealth as British forces prepare to draw down. The power struggle between factions of the Shi'ite majority that has dominated Iraqi politics since the first post-war general elections in 2005 threatens to affect oil exports accounting for virtually all of Iraq's income.
In the latest development of a turf war that has all the ingredients of a gangster movie set in 1920s Chicago, rivals of the provincial governor fell one vote short of voting him out of office last month but have pledged to keep up the standoff. Basra, Iraq's second largest city, is more or less free of the car bombs and the violence between Shi'ites and Sunni Arabs raging in central Iraq, but it has descended into a chaos of its own. Sporadic militia battles, endemic corruption and death threats now scar the once tranquil port.
"Everyone's trying to grab resources and make a quick profit without considering a long-term programme or attempting to establish a power base for the future," said Peter Harling, an analyst for the International Crisis Group who focuses on Iraq. "The interesting thing about violence in Basra is that it's not related to the two big factors of violence elsewhere: fighting the occupation and sectarian violence," he said.
Residents fear that violence could be a sign of things to come, especially as British troops disengage from the south. Britain, which has already turned over three southern provinces to Iraqi control, is poised to reduce its 7,000-strong force in Basra to about 5,500 by the beginning of June.
In the latest development of a turf war that has all the ingredients of a gangster movie set in 1920s Chicago, rivals of the provincial governor fell one vote short of voting him out of office last month but have pledged to keep up the standoff. Basra, Iraq's second largest city, is more or less free of the car bombs and the violence between Shi'ites and Sunni Arabs raging in central Iraq, but it has descended into a chaos of its own. Sporadic militia battles, endemic corruption and death threats now scar the once tranquil port.
"Everyone's trying to grab resources and make a quick profit without considering a long-term programme or attempting to establish a power base for the future," said Peter Harling, an analyst for the International Crisis Group who focuses on Iraq. "The interesting thing about violence in Basra is that it's not related to the two big factors of violence elsewhere: fighting the occupation and sectarian violence," he said.
Residents fear that violence could be a sign of things to come, especially as British troops disengage from the south. Britain, which has already turned over three southern provinces to Iraqi control, is poised to reduce its 7,000-strong force in Basra to about 5,500 by the beginning of June.
The power struggle involves militias and politicians loyal to young Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, the Fadhila party and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC). Locally powerful Fadhila, which controls key oil industry jobs in Basra, opposes the creation of a Shi'ite "super-region" espoused by SIIC, the dominant Shi'ite faction in Iraq.
Basra Governor Mohammed al-Waeli, from Fadhila, wants a Basra region of its own, independent from Najaf to the north, seat of the Shi'ite political establishment but bereft of oil. "Federalism is a large factor behind the dispute," said one Fadhila official who declined to be identified. Waeli could not be reached for an interview despite several requests by Reuters.
One of Waeli's main opponents, former governor Hasan al-Rashid from SIIC's Badr Organization, said his allies had received death threats warning them against deposing Waeli. "There are several points why we are opposed to him, including Basra's worsening security and his constant absence from the provincial council," Rashid told Reuters.
Some in Basra are worried that a British withdrawal would encourage groups to use force to control the oil fields. With sabotage halting exports in northern fields, the Basra terminal is essentially Iraq's only source of income at present. Attacks by suspected militants against British forces are on the rise -- April was the deadliest month for British troops since the first month of the war -- but a spokeswoman for the British consulate in Basra played down fears of political warfare after the planned reduction in British forces.
Basra Governor Mohammed al-Waeli, from Fadhila, wants a Basra region of its own, independent from Najaf to the north, seat of the Shi'ite political establishment but bereft of oil. "Federalism is a large factor behind the dispute," said one Fadhila official who declined to be identified. Waeli could not be reached for an interview despite several requests by Reuters.
One of Waeli's main opponents, former governor Hasan al-Rashid from SIIC's Badr Organization, said his allies had received death threats warning them against deposing Waeli. "There are several points why we are opposed to him, including Basra's worsening security and his constant absence from the provincial council," Rashid told Reuters.
Some in Basra are worried that a British withdrawal would encourage groups to use force to control the oil fields. With sabotage halting exports in northern fields, the Basra terminal is essentially Iraq's only source of income at present. Attacks by suspected militants against British forces are on the rise -- April was the deadliest month for British troops since the first month of the war -- but a spokeswoman for the British consulate in Basra played down fears of political warfare after the planned reduction in British forces.
COMMENT: The 'word on the street' is that the recent clashes in Basrah actually have nothing to do with serving the people. The actual reason for this fighting is: oil smuggling revenue; reconstruction contracts; and Iranian influence. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: Basra, Fadhela party, militias, Mohammed al-Waeli, Moqtada Al-Sadr, politics, SIIC, Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, violence
Saturday, May 12, 2007
SCIRI changes political platform, name
Politics
(Stratfor) - The Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) said May 11 it will change its political platform to align itself more closely with Iraq's leading Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and to move toward an "Iraqization" of the party. SCIRI members said the party's name will be changed to the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, removing the word "revolution," which was a reference to the fight against the Baathist regime of former dictator Saddam Hussein. The announcement follows a four-day SCIRI meeting of members from around the world.
Reuters reports that since the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam in 2003, SCIRI has been a key player in Iraqi politics. It holds around a quarter of the seats in parliament in the ruling Shi'ite Alliance of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. SCIRI's leader, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, is a powerful cleric who has good relations with the United States.
Officials said SCIRI would introduce terms such as democracy and elections into its political platform to reflect what they called the changing situation in Iraq. "There will be a change in two aspects -- the structure of the group and also in its political language, taking into consideration the political facts on the ground," another official who is at the conference said without elaborating.
"On political language, we will introduce terms more like democracy and elections. Those who follow us closely will notice that we have introduced new terms in our speeches for a while, now we are setting it out formally."
Officials said SCIRI would introduce terms such as democracy and elections into its political platform to reflect what they called the changing situation in Iraq. "There will be a change in two aspects -- the structure of the group and also in its political language, taking into consideration the political facts on the ground," another official who is at the conference said without elaborating.
"On political language, we will introduce terms more like democracy and elections. Those who follow us closely will notice that we have introduced new terms in our speeches for a while, now we are setting it out formally."
Labels: Abdul Aziz Al Hakim, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, SCIRI, Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council
