Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Iraqis to work towards peace - Finnish meeting
International
(Al Jazeera) - Iraqi Sunni and Shia representatives have agreed to work towards peace during talks in Finland. "Participants committed themselves to work towards a robust framework for a lasting settlement," said a statement issued on Monday by the Crisis Management Initiative, a conflict-prevention group that organised the meeting.
In an agreement released by CMI, the participants "agreed to consult further" on a list of recommendations to begin reconciliation talks, including resolving political disputes through non-violence and democracy. The recommendations also included the disarming of factions and forming an independent commission to supervise the disarming "in a verifiable manner".
The four-day meeting which ended on Monday brought together 16 delegates from the feuding groups to study lessons learnt from successful peacemaking efforts in South Africa and Northern Ireland. Among those reportedly at the talks were representatives of Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr; Adnan al-Dulaimi, a leader of the largest Sunni Arab political group; and Humam Hammoudi, the Shia chairman of the Iraqi parliament's foreign affairs committee.
Jeffrey Donaldson, a Northern Ireland legislator, said the "road map" to Iraqi peace included key principles of the British territory's own peace process. Donaldson and British government officials confirmed that the Northern Ireland delegation included Martin McGuinness, the veteran Irish Republican Army commander now the senior Catholic in Northern Ireland's power-sharing government.
South Africa was represented by members of Nelson Mandela's first unity government following the end of apartheid, African National Congress activist Mac Maharaj and National party reformer Roelf Meyer.
Political objectives agreed to include moving away from sectarian and ethnic disputes, ending the displacement of Iraqi refugees, and terminating the presence of foreign troops according to a "realistic timetable". The participants also agreed to deal with militias by arming and training security forces to become "an effective national force", while fostering economic development across the country.
Members of armed groups that "are not classified as terrorist" would be encouraged to adopt "peaceful political means" and given jobs within the state administration. CMI, overseen by Martti Ahtisaari, the former Finnish president, has facilitated peace talks for other conflicts. In 2005, Ahtisaari helped end 30 years of fighting between Aceh rebels and the Indonesian government with peace talks in Finland which he initiated and mediated in.
In an agreement released by CMI, the participants "agreed to consult further" on a list of recommendations to begin reconciliation talks, including resolving political disputes through non-violence and democracy. The recommendations also included the disarming of factions and forming an independent commission to supervise the disarming "in a verifiable manner".
The four-day meeting which ended on Monday brought together 16 delegates from the feuding groups to study lessons learnt from successful peacemaking efforts in South Africa and Northern Ireland. Among those reportedly at the talks were representatives of Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr; Adnan al-Dulaimi, a leader of the largest Sunni Arab political group; and Humam Hammoudi, the Shia chairman of the Iraqi parliament's foreign affairs committee.
Jeffrey Donaldson, a Northern Ireland legislator, said the "road map" to Iraqi peace included key principles of the British territory's own peace process. Donaldson and British government officials confirmed that the Northern Ireland delegation included Martin McGuinness, the veteran Irish Republican Army commander now the senior Catholic in Northern Ireland's power-sharing government.
South Africa was represented by members of Nelson Mandela's first unity government following the end of apartheid, African National Congress activist Mac Maharaj and National party reformer Roelf Meyer.
Political objectives agreed to include moving away from sectarian and ethnic disputes, ending the displacement of Iraqi refugees, and terminating the presence of foreign troops according to a "realistic timetable". The participants also agreed to deal with militias by arming and training security forces to become "an effective national force", while fostering economic development across the country.
Members of armed groups that "are not classified as terrorist" would be encouraged to adopt "peaceful political means" and given jobs within the state administration. CMI, overseen by Martti Ahtisaari, the former Finnish president, has facilitated peace talks for other conflicts. In 2005, Ahtisaari helped end 30 years of fighting between Aceh rebels and the Indonesian government with peace talks in Finland which he initiated and mediated in.
Labels: Crisis Management Initiative, Finland, Iraq, Martti Ahtisaari, national reconciliation
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
A move towards national reconciliation
Politics
(The Guardian) - Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, and fellow leaders in the country have reached consensus on key areas of national reconciliation, under mounting US pressure to demonstrate political progress on the eve of a key report to Congress on the Baghdad security "surge". The Shia prime minister appeared on television flanked by Jalal Talabani, the country's Kurdish president, and the Sunni vice-president, Tareq al-Hashemi, to announce a deal on easing restrictions on former members of the Ba'ath party joining the civil service and military.
Easing de-Ba'athification laws passed after the 2003 US invasion has long been seen as a vital step if disenchanted Sunnis, who formed the backbone of Saddam Hussein's regime and, since its fall, of the insurgency, are to be persuaded to take part in Iraqi political life. Agreement was also reported on holding provincial elections and releasing detainees held without charge across the country, two more of the "benchmarks" set by the Bush administration for political movement it hopes will stave off mounting congressional demands for a withdrawal from Iraq.
It was not immediately clear how, or when, these moves would be implemented and how far they would go to reversing the almost total Sunni boycott of the cabinet - the centre of Mr Maliki's difficulties. The beleaguered prime minister, facing mounting criticism from within the Bush administration, announced earlier that Mr Hashemi's Iraqi Islamic party was about to join with the four Shia and Kurdish parties which recently forged an alliance.
Mr Maliki said a committee formed by the parties had reviewed the current political stalemate and "accomplished some solutions". Last week a US national intelligence report cast doubt on Mr Maliki's ability to heal the country's sectarian divide and predicted "the Iraqi government will become more precarious over the next six to 12 months".
There were further signs of Mr Maliki's weakening grip on power when the former temporary prime minister, Ayad Allawi, removed his faction from the "unity" government on Saturday and put himself forward as an alternative. The growing pressure on the Iraqi leader comes at a sensitive moment in relations between Washington and Baghdad. The American commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, will soon present Congress with his analysis of the success or otherwise of the so-called "surge".
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence said last night that British forces have withdrawn from a base in Basra that they had shared with Iraqi police in the first phase of a plan to move all troops out of the city centre. A small number of troops had been stationed at the provincial joint coordination centre where they had been helping to train Iraqi police. Control of the facility has now been handed over to the Iraqi army.
Easing de-Ba'athification laws passed after the 2003 US invasion has long been seen as a vital step if disenchanted Sunnis, who formed the backbone of Saddam Hussein's regime and, since its fall, of the insurgency, are to be persuaded to take part in Iraqi political life. Agreement was also reported on holding provincial elections and releasing detainees held without charge across the country, two more of the "benchmarks" set by the Bush administration for political movement it hopes will stave off mounting congressional demands for a withdrawal from Iraq.
It was not immediately clear how, or when, these moves would be implemented and how far they would go to reversing the almost total Sunni boycott of the cabinet - the centre of Mr Maliki's difficulties. The beleaguered prime minister, facing mounting criticism from within the Bush administration, announced earlier that Mr Hashemi's Iraqi Islamic party was about to join with the four Shia and Kurdish parties which recently forged an alliance.
Mr Maliki said a committee formed by the parties had reviewed the current political stalemate and "accomplished some solutions". Last week a US national intelligence report cast doubt on Mr Maliki's ability to heal the country's sectarian divide and predicted "the Iraqi government will become more precarious over the next six to 12 months".
There were further signs of Mr Maliki's weakening grip on power when the former temporary prime minister, Ayad Allawi, removed his faction from the "unity" government on Saturday and put himself forward as an alternative. The growing pressure on the Iraqi leader comes at a sensitive moment in relations between Washington and Baghdad. The American commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, will soon present Congress with his analysis of the success or otherwise of the so-called "surge".
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence said last night that British forces have withdrawn from a base in Basra that they had shared with Iraqi police in the first phase of a plan to move all troops out of the city centre. A small number of troops had been stationed at the provincial joint coordination centre where they had been helping to train Iraqi police. Control of the facility has now been handed over to the Iraqi army.
Labels: Basra, British forces, debaathification, detainees, Jalal Talabani, national reconciliation, Nouri Al-Maliki, provincial elections, Tariq Al Hashemi
Friday, July 20, 2007
Allawi says there are plots to assassinate him in Baghdad
Politics
(Azzaman) - Former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said there were serious plots to have him assassinated in Baghdad. In a television interview, Allawi said: “Organs in the current government with the assistance of a foreign state are trying to liquidate me.” Allawi did not name the foreign country but analysts said he was most probably referring to Iran.
Allawi is a Shiite but his Iraqi National List party is secular and moderate and includes members from across the country’s diverse sects, religions and nationalities. The list has 24 deputies in the parliament and is part of the current ruling Shiite-Kurdish government. Allawi said he learned about attempts to have him assassinated “from the U.S. and a number of Arab countries”. He did not elaborate.
Despite his participation in the ruling coalition, Allawi was critical of the government, indicating that he might withdraw if it fails to introduce reconciliation. “If we find that our presence is no longer useful and our presence in the government ineffective, our withdrawal from the government is a measure to resort to,” he said.
He lashed out at the government of Nouri al-Maliki, saying that instead of curbing the country’s unruly militias it was encouraging them. “The militias now target anyone in disagreement with the government,” he said. Allawi is spearheading efforts to form a new ‘moderate’ front but has so far failed to persuade the disgruntled Sunnis to join him.
“I want to set up the front in order to seek real national reconciliation and rid Iraq of the political impasse it is going through,” he said. Allawi strongly opposes a ruling by the Iraqi tribunal trying members of the former regime for sentencing former defense minister to death. “I have called for the release of the former Defense Minister (General) Sultan Hashem Ahmad … We have documents that confirm that coalition forces had given him a promise that he would not be hurt in case he cooperated, and he did,” said Allawi.
Allawi is a Shiite but his Iraqi National List party is secular and moderate and includes members from across the country’s diverse sects, religions and nationalities. The list has 24 deputies in the parliament and is part of the current ruling Shiite-Kurdish government. Allawi said he learned about attempts to have him assassinated “from the U.S. and a number of Arab countries”. He did not elaborate.
Despite his participation in the ruling coalition, Allawi was critical of the government, indicating that he might withdraw if it fails to introduce reconciliation. “If we find that our presence is no longer useful and our presence in the government ineffective, our withdrawal from the government is a measure to resort to,” he said.
He lashed out at the government of Nouri al-Maliki, saying that instead of curbing the country’s unruly militias it was encouraging them. “The militias now target anyone in disagreement with the government,” he said. Allawi is spearheading efforts to form a new ‘moderate’ front but has so far failed to persuade the disgruntled Sunnis to join him.
“I want to set up the front in order to seek real national reconciliation and rid Iraq of the political impasse it is going through,” he said. Allawi strongly opposes a ruling by the Iraqi tribunal trying members of the former regime for sentencing former defense minister to death. “I have called for the release of the former Defense Minister (General) Sultan Hashem Ahmad … We have documents that confirm that coalition forces had given him a promise that he would not be hurt in case he cooperated, and he did,” said Allawi.
Labels: Ayad Allawi, Gen. Sultan Hashem Ahmad, militias, national reconciliation
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Al-Maliki refuses timetable for national reconciliation
Politics, Security
(KUNA) - Al-Maliki announced during a June 18 press conference that Iraq will not accept a timetable imposed on it to achieve national reconciliation, KUNA reported the same day. Al-Maliki's statements were seen as a response to comments from U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on June 16, in which he said Washington is disappointed with the Iraqi government's efforts at fostering national reconciliation.
Al-Maliki stressed that only his government can impose any sort of timetable on the reconciliation process. "We set timetables based on humanitarian and national considerations," al-Maliki said. "Our priority comes in sensing the suffering of citizens, which forces us to set time tables and executable solutions for citizens."
Labels: national reconciliation, Nouri Al-Maliki, Robert Gates
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
General amnesty to be considered ahead of national reconciliation project
Politics
(Voices of Iraq) - A general amnesty will be considered ahead of the national reconciliation project set up by the Iraqi government, MP Hassan al-Saneed from the Shiite United Iraqi Coalition (UIC), who is also Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's advisor, said on Monday.
"A general amnesty is expected to be announced by the Iraqi government as part of its plans for national reconciliation and in a way that guarantees that pardoned prisoners do not return to crime," al-Saneed told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
According to al-Saneed, the Iraqi government has developed a new strategy that aims to stimulate greater political participation and open dialogue with armed groups that have expressed interest in joining the political process.
The new strategy will also propose a cabinet reshuffle involving ministries that have direct contact with the public and amendments to Baghdad's security plan, and will discuss Iraq's relations with its neighbors, national security and the issue of borders, al-Saneed added.
"A general amnesty is expected to be announced by the Iraqi government as part of its plans for national reconciliation and in a way that guarantees that pardoned prisoners do not return to crime," al-Saneed told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
According to al-Saneed, the Iraqi government has developed a new strategy that aims to stimulate greater political participation and open dialogue with armed groups that have expressed interest in joining the political process.
The new strategy will also propose a cabinet reshuffle involving ministries that have direct contact with the public and amendments to Baghdad's security plan, and will discuss Iraq's relations with its neighbors, national security and the issue of borders, al-Saneed added.
Labels: armed groups, cabinet reshuffle, general amnesty, Hassan al-Saneed, national reconciliation
Al Mutlaq Demands Al Maliki Resign And Encourages Everyone To Stop The Bloodshed In Iraq
Politics
(Azzaman Newspaper) - 4 JUN - Salah Al Mutlaq, the leader of the National Dialogue Front which has 11 seats in the Parliament, demands the Americans and Al Maliki readjust the entire political process. Yesterday, in Amman, during a press conference Al Mutlaq said “Because of the insistence of having this political process, tens of Iraqis and occupiers are killed everyday. The occupier should rethink the political process and the government should do the same thing because this process is not good for their people. Al Maliki should say to the Parliament, “This is my plan, this is my government and this is what I want from you; either accept it or accept my resignation.”
The Prime Minister should make this brave decision. The current government is not capable of leading this country. It is a government built on political entities and people who came for revenge and to eliminate others. Today we need people who can begin national reconciliation. If we have a comparison of the situations before the political process we will see that the situation before was better. He finished saying, “Shame on every politician if he stays in the government and the parliament and without doing anything to stop the Iraqi bleeding.”
Labels: National Dialogue Front, national reconciliation, Nouri Al-Maliki, Salah Al Mutlaq
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Iraqi politicians, U.S. optimistic on al-Sadr's return
Politics
(Middle East Online) - Iraqi politicians expressed cautious optimism Saturday that Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr's emergence from a four-month absence with a conciliatory message would boost efforts to stem sectarian violence. Leaders from both sides of Iraq's communal divide said they hoped the firebrand cleric's return to the political scene would give a fillip to national reconciliation efforts and rein in his loosely controlled militia.
"The return of Moqtada al-Sadr is necessary at this juncture... because his ability to give orders to his followers in person will calm the political and security situation," said Shiite member of parliament Abbas al-Bayati. Sunni politician Ayad al-Sammaraie echoed that view. "His existence inside Iraq will help keep his supporters following this policy," he said. "We welcome his call for national reconciliation. This is what we have been calling for from the beginning."
"The return of Moqtada al-Sadr is necessary at this juncture... because his ability to give orders to his followers in person will calm the political and security situation," said Shiite member of parliament Abbas al-Bayati. Sunni politician Ayad al-Sammaraie echoed that view. "His existence inside Iraq will help keep his supporters following this policy," he said. "We welcome his call for national reconciliation. This is what we have been calling for from the beginning."
Sadr resurfaced at his mosque in Kufa on Friday after several months in hiding and delivered a sermon condemning the occupation of Iraq while at the same time insisting that the nation's fractured population had to get along.
Sadr created and leads the Mahdi Army, a loosely organised militia of tens of thousands of fighters across central and southern Iraq that has fought US forces twice and constantly spars with rival Shiite militias in the south. It has also been widely implicated in the wave of sectarian killing that has swept the country since the destruction of a revered Shiite shrine in February 2006, but Sadr has blamed the killings on armed groups outside of his control.
In his comeback address on Friday, the cleric appealed to Sunnis and Shiites to unite in the face of the US-led military presence which has become widely unpopolar in both communities. "I say to our Sunni brothers in Iraq that we are brothers and the occupier shall not divide us. They are welcome and we are ready to cooperate with them in all fields. This is my hand I stretch towards them," he said.
His comments drew praise from Miriam al-Rayyis, an advisor to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who said MPs should follow his example. "He supported unity in his speech on Friday and he didn't defend a certain side. We wish all our political leaders would talk like this," she said.
Sadr once supported the prime minister, but has since pulled out of the government as its reputation has suffered from continual infighting and its inability to address the violence plaguing the country. In December, a US military report identified the Mahdi Army and other Shiite militias it accused of sectarian cleansing as the biggest threat to Iraq's stability.
With the launch of a joint US-Iraqi security crackdown in the capital four months ago, the Mahdi Army decided to lie low. Washington says Sadr went to Iran, although his supporters insist he never left Iraq.
As a result, the US military has now returned to describing Al-Qaeda in Iraq as the number one threat and has been cautiously optimistic about Sadr's own role. "Now that he's back from four months in Iran, we hope he'll play a useful and positive role in the development of Iraq," said White House national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe.
Sadr created and leads the Mahdi Army, a loosely organised militia of tens of thousands of fighters across central and southern Iraq that has fought US forces twice and constantly spars with rival Shiite militias in the south. It has also been widely implicated in the wave of sectarian killing that has swept the country since the destruction of a revered Shiite shrine in February 2006, but Sadr has blamed the killings on armed groups outside of his control.
In his comeback address on Friday, the cleric appealed to Sunnis and Shiites to unite in the face of the US-led military presence which has become widely unpopolar in both communities. "I say to our Sunni brothers in Iraq that we are brothers and the occupier shall not divide us. They are welcome and we are ready to cooperate with them in all fields. This is my hand I stretch towards them," he said.
His comments drew praise from Miriam al-Rayyis, an advisor to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who said MPs should follow his example. "He supported unity in his speech on Friday and he didn't defend a certain side. We wish all our political leaders would talk like this," she said.
Sadr once supported the prime minister, but has since pulled out of the government as its reputation has suffered from continual infighting and its inability to address the violence plaguing the country. In December, a US military report identified the Mahdi Army and other Shiite militias it accused of sectarian cleansing as the biggest threat to Iraq's stability.
With the launch of a joint US-Iraqi security crackdown in the capital four months ago, the Mahdi Army decided to lie low. Washington says Sadr went to Iran, although his supporters insist he never left Iraq.
As a result, the US military has now returned to describing Al-Qaeda in Iraq as the number one threat and has been cautiously optimistic about Sadr's own role. "Now that he's back from four months in Iran, we hope he'll play a useful and positive role in the development of Iraq," said White House national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe.
Labels: Abbas al-Bayati, Ayad al-Sammaraie, Gordon Johndroe, Miriam al-Rayyis, Moqtada Al-Sadr, national reconciliation, politics
Friday, May 04, 2007
Arab League may hold Iraq national reconciliation conference
Conference, International
(Reuters) - Iraq urged its neighbors on Friday to stop militants sneaking into Iraq and, at talks in Egypt on stemming bloodshed, is expected to ask the Arab League to hold a conference on national reconciliation. Iraq made the call to its six neighboring states at a conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh that also brought together the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, the European Union and the Group of Eight leading industrialized countries.
"We will not allow terrorist organizations to use Iraqi territory as a safe haven," Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told an opening session of the one-day conference. "That is what drives us to call on the regional neighbors to prevent the infiltration of terrorist groups into Iraq and to stop them obtaining material support and political and media support." The talks are due to focus on border security, Iraqi refugees and political reconciliation between Iraqi factions and ethnic and religious communities.
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said a draft final communique from the conference was expected to call on the Arab League to convene a national reconciliation conference for Iraq. "We are ready for this. We are ready to host Iraqi national reconciliation," he said. "Now is not the time to exchange accusations but is the time to work together." Moussa gave no time frame as to when such a meeting could take place, nor did he say where it would be held. The 22-member Arab League is based in Cairo.
"We will not allow terrorist organizations to use Iraqi territory as a safe haven," Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told an opening session of the one-day conference. "That is what drives us to call on the regional neighbors to prevent the infiltration of terrorist groups into Iraq and to stop them obtaining material support and political and media support." The talks are due to focus on border security, Iraqi refugees and political reconciliation between Iraqi factions and ethnic and religious communities.
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said a draft final communique from the conference was expected to call on the Arab League to convene a national reconciliation conference for Iraq. "We are ready for this. We are ready to host Iraqi national reconciliation," he said. "Now is not the time to exchange accusations but is the time to work together." Moussa gave no time frame as to when such a meeting could take place, nor did he say where it would be held. The 22-member Arab League is based in Cairo.
Labels: Amr Mousa, Arab League, borders, Iraq, national reconciliation, Sharm el-Sheikh
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Iraqi Constitutional Monarchist Movement call for U.N. intervention
Politics
(Al-Hayat) - The leader of the Iraqi Constitutional Monarchist Movement, Ali Bin al-Husayn, has warned of a calamity if national reconciliation cannot be achieved before foreign forces withdraw from Iraq, "Al-Hayat" reported on April 23. Al-Husayn, secretary-general of the movement, said that mutual distrust among Iraqi factions is preventing reconciliation from moving forward, and he called on the UN to intervene and act as a guarantor of any agreement.
"This military presence continues to hinge on its [UN] resolutions," he said. "So what is the objection to letting the UN Security Council play the role of overseer and guarantor for any solution to help the Iraqi people find a mechanism that will ensure a real and effective reconciliation to emerge from the current impasse?" Al-Husayn warned that if reconciliation is not achieved prior to the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces, Iraq will become an arena of conflict for regional states that have competing interests.
COMMENT: Headed by Sharif Ali bin al-Husayn, cousin of the deposed Iraqi king, Faysal II, who was killed in the 1958 coup in Iraq. The group's website claims: "Constitutional monarchy is the one thing that could rescue Iraq from the factional conflicts between the various groups over the question of the position of the head of the state, because the Monarch would not favor one group to the detriment of another, but rather would represent all the people."
The group supports an elected national assembly, and claims that it can maintain a balance in Iraq because "Monarchy needs not to be affected by the political ideologies of the competing parties because its main role is an arbitrator between all and guarantor of the constitution." The CMM was one of seven opposition groups to receive financial support from the United States prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom. However, the group was not afforded a seat on the interim Governing Council, much to the chagrin of al-Husayn. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: Ali Bin al-Husayn, Iraqi Constitutional Monarchist Movement, national reconciliation, U.N.
