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
Monday, July 02, 2007
Maliki determined to hold provincial elections by year's end
Politics
(RFE/RL) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki says he is determined to hold provincial elections by the end of this year to delegate more power to the country's communities. His office quoted him as telling the National Elections Commission that "it does not matter who wins, as long as the victor is a son of Iraq and works in the interest of its people." Although Iraq held its first full-term parliamentary elections in December 2005, it has never elected leaders to the country's 18 governorates.
The holding of local elections has emerged as one of several "benchmarks" of political progress demanded by Washington as a means of resolving the country's various sectarian and ethnic conflicts. Local elections are also seen as a way to allow more Sunni Muslims to acquire political power and deter them from fighting.
Labels: National Elections Commission, Nouri Al-Maliki, provincial elections
Friday, April 20, 2007
Anbar tribes to form political coalition
Politics, Tribal
(LA Times) - A group of Sunni tribal leaders in beleaguered Al Anbar province said Thursday that it intended to form a national party to oppose insurgents such as Al Qaeda in Iraq and reengage with Iraq's political process. The announcement came after 200 sheiks said to represent 50 tribes met and agreed to form a provincial sheiks council and hold the first convention in May of their new party, called Iraq Awakening. Sheiks from three other provinces will attend, organizers said.
The driving force behind the new party, Sheik Abdul-Sattar abu Risha, said in an interview that the tribal leaders would be pushing a slate of candidates in Al Anbar provincial elections later this year, as well as in the next round of national parliamentary balloting, scheduled for 2009. One purpose of the party, Sattar said, is to promote a better image of American-led forces "to the Iraqis here." He added that the tribes also would participate in a U.S.-backed effort to reestablish a court system in Ramadi, the provincial capital.
The sheik is a leader of the Abu Risha tribe that is part of the larger Dulaimi tribal confederation in Al Anbar. His grab for power has been resented by some. His base of support remains around Ramadi, although he has been trying to reach out to other branches of the Dulaimi tribe around the province. Still, his history remains the subject of speculation, and others are wary of him, even though they may seek nominal affiliation with his movement as tribal leaders move to battle Al Qaeda in Iraq and its affiliates.
U.S. military leaders here said they were cheered by the announcement because cooperation from sheiks in Al Anbar in recent months had contributed to a rise in Iraqi police and army recruitment and a sharp reduction in insurgent attacks on U.S. troops and their Iraqi allies.
Al Anbar Gov. Mamoun Sami Rasheed said Thursday that the sheiks marginalized themselves by refusing to participate in Iraq's 2005 elections and, in some cases, supporting the Al Qaeda in Iraq organization. The sheiks in turn have mocked some of the provincial representatives for being absentee politicians with no local track record. Sattar said the sheiks council would offer "full accountability for anyone in his tribe. Also they will know of any strangers — man, woman or child — who try to mix in their neighborhoods."
Analysts who lauded the sheiks' announcement as well as U.S. efforts to work with them cautioned that the political situation remained fluid. "It's only now that the United States appears convinced of the need to build up local support against Al Qaeda," said Joost Hiltermann, a consultant with the International Crisis Group in Amman, the capital of Jordan. "What these people want is a restoration of Sunni power, or a preservation of certain privileges, or more simply, protection of their community from the Shiite majority and Iran."
Vali Nasr, a Middle East expert at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., said the "most important result may not be in the battlefield but in producing new Sunni voices that Shiites and Kurds can negotiate with." Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution in Washington said that improving U.S. relations with Sunni sheiks made "eminent sense" but that officials needed to be thinking about the "next step." "We need better contacts among Sunnis for the purposes of negotiating an end to the civil war," he said, "and this could create an opportunity to create partners in the larger project while also serving an immediate need."
Labels: Abu Risha tribe, Al Anbar, Al Qaeda in Iraq, Iraq Awakening, politics, provincial elections, Sheik Abdul-Sattar abu Risha, Sunni tribal leaders
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Political obstacles hinder Iraq's development
Politics
(AP) Iraq's fragmented leadership is struggling to meet the major benchmarks that it has pledged to the United States to achieve soon, with political wrangling and a chaotic legislature standing in the way. The issue took on new urgency last week when House Democrats drafted legislation that would require President Bush to certify by July 1 and again by Oct. 1 whether the Iraqi government is making progress on security, an oil plan and constitutional amendments.
Even if the Democratic proposals never make it through Congress, pressure is mounting for the Iraqis to meet a timetable or risk losing U.S. troops and support. But the Iraqis face a host of obstacles that go to the heart of the crisis. Recent talk of changes in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government may just increase the paralysis as groups maneuver for power.
Iraq missed the Dec. 31 target dates to enact laws establishing provincial elections, regulating distribution of the country's oil wealth and reversing measures that have excluded many Sunnis from jobs and government positions because they belonged to Saddam Hussein's Baath party. The U.S. is also pushing for constitutional amendments to remove articles that the Sunnis believe discriminate in favor of the Shiites and Kurds. U.S. officials also want Iraqis to pass a bill to set new elections for provincial governments to encourage greater public participation at the grass-roots level.
The only success has been a new oil law, which al-Maliki's Cabinet endorsed Feb. 26 and sent to parliament for approval. Leaders of all main political blocs have pledged to support the bill, which lays down rules for negotiating contracts and distributing the revenues among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. But parliament has not taken up the measure yet, and the deputy speaker said the draft may have to be sent back to the Cabinet because al-Maliki's staff skipped some legal steps in endorsing it.
Likewise, the bill on provincial elections is bogged down in procedural matters. The measure is designed to address problems caused when the Sunnis boycotted the January 2005 election, in which provincial councils were chosen. That resulted in Shiites winning power in some areas with Sunni majorities. Shiite lawmakers are not eager to give up those gains.
Legislation to relax the ban on former Baath party members holding government jobs or elective office faces an even tougher road. Shiites and Kurds, who suffered the most under Saddam's Sunni-dominated regime, are reluctant to reinstate thousands of members of the party responsible. The government provides most jobs here, and the ban effectively deprives thousands of former Baath members of a livelihood. Many are Sunnis, and the U.S. believes the rules are driving Sunnis into the insurgency. The main Sunni bloc in parliament wants the rules loosened so that thousands of lower-ranking party members can get their jobs back.
Ali al-Lami, executive secretary of the government committee that screens former party members, said the factions reached a broad compromise during a meeting Feb. 28, whereby the number of Baath members under the ban would be cut by more than half. Other former party members would be offered reinstatement or retirement with pensions, he said. Al-Lami said al-Maliki had endorsed the compromise.
Even if the Democratic proposals never make it through Congress, pressure is mounting for the Iraqis to meet a timetable or risk losing U.S. troops and support. But the Iraqis face a host of obstacles that go to the heart of the crisis. Recent talk of changes in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government may just increase the paralysis as groups maneuver for power.
Iraq missed the Dec. 31 target dates to enact laws establishing provincial elections, regulating distribution of the country's oil wealth and reversing measures that have excluded many Sunnis from jobs and government positions because they belonged to Saddam Hussein's Baath party. The U.S. is also pushing for constitutional amendments to remove articles that the Sunnis believe discriminate in favor of the Shiites and Kurds. U.S. officials also want Iraqis to pass a bill to set new elections for provincial governments to encourage greater public participation at the grass-roots level.
The only success has been a new oil law, which al-Maliki's Cabinet endorsed Feb. 26 and sent to parliament for approval. Leaders of all main political blocs have pledged to support the bill, which lays down rules for negotiating contracts and distributing the revenues among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. But parliament has not taken up the measure yet, and the deputy speaker said the draft may have to be sent back to the Cabinet because al-Maliki's staff skipped some legal steps in endorsing it.
Likewise, the bill on provincial elections is bogged down in procedural matters. The measure is designed to address problems caused when the Sunnis boycotted the January 2005 election, in which provincial councils were chosen. That resulted in Shiites winning power in some areas with Sunni majorities. Shiite lawmakers are not eager to give up those gains.
Legislation to relax the ban on former Baath party members holding government jobs or elective office faces an even tougher road. Shiites and Kurds, who suffered the most under Saddam's Sunni-dominated regime, are reluctant to reinstate thousands of members of the party responsible. The government provides most jobs here, and the ban effectively deprives thousands of former Baath members of a livelihood. Many are Sunnis, and the U.S. believes the rules are driving Sunnis into the insurgency. The main Sunni bloc in parliament wants the rules loosened so that thousands of lower-ranking party members can get their jobs back.
Ali al-Lami, executive secretary of the government committee that screens former party members, said the factions reached a broad compromise during a meeting Feb. 28, whereby the number of Baath members under the ban would be cut by more than half. Other former party members would be offered reinstatement or retirement with pensions, he said. Al-Lami said al-Maliki had endorsed the compromise.
Labels: al-Maliki, Baathists, benchmarks, constitution, draft oil law, oil, provincial elections, security, U.S. support
Monday, March 12, 2007
Delay in holding provincial elections irks Sunnis
Politics
(Los Angeles Times) The long delay in holding provincial elections in Iraq has shut out Sunni Arab majorities and exacerbated sectarian tensions in provincial capitals such as Kirkuk and Baqoubah and in mixed neighborhoods of Baghdad. A Sunni boycott of elections in 2005 has left the religious sect under-represented in some provincial councils, allowing Shia politicians to dominate.
The stark political imbalance is a key driver of sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims in some of Iraq's most strategically important and heterogeneous cities, Iraqi politicians and U.S. officials say. Plans to draft legislation for local balloting have been put off indefinitely by the Shia-dominated parliament, intensifying tensions.
The stark political imbalance is a key driver of sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims in some of Iraq's most strategically important and heterogeneous cities, Iraqi politicians and U.S. officials say. Plans to draft legislation for local balloting have been put off indefinitely by the Shia-dominated parliament, intensifying tensions.
Sunni Arabs constitute at least 40 percent of Baghdad's population, but only one of the 51 members of the local provincial council is Sunni. "The absence of Sunnis on the council has an absolutely negative effect," said Azhar Abdul Majeed Hussein, the sole Sunni council member in Baghdad. "When Sunnis turn to the council for even simple needs, they find they have no representatives. This makes them feel marginalized. There is a clear sectarian spirit in the council." That sectarian spirit extends to the greater Iraqi society, Iraqi leaders and U.S. officials say, overlaying the combustible political strife.
Sunni Arabs are also under-represented in Diyala province, to the northeast, where they are believed to make up 60 percent of the population but hold only about one-third of the provincial seats. In the disputed northern city of Kirkuk, Sunni Arabs and Shias constitute about 25 percent of the population but only 15 percent of the Kurdish-dominated provincial council.
Diyala Deputy Gov. Aouf Rahoumi said Shia domination of the provincial council, which sits in Baqoubah, had a direct effect on security because Shias, partly as a result of this political strength, also dominate the army and police in the area. "The governor is Shiite, the police commander is Shiite, the army commander is Shiite, the major crimes unit commander is Shiite, the intelligence commander is Shiite, most of the division commanders are Shiite," Rahoumi, a Sunni, said. "So there are problems because they are a minority ruling over a majority."
Labels: Diyala, Kirkuk, provincial councils, provincial elections
