Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Iraq

Al-Sadr's advisor calls Iran to rein in the ''blatant Framework'', Sadr’s return not to be political

2022-09-01

[SHAFAQ] Salih Muhammad al-Iraqi, a self-proclaimed advisor of Moqtada Tater al-Sadr
Moqtada <q>Tater</q> al-Sadr

...hereditary Iraqi holy man and leader of a political movement in Iraq. He had his hereditary rival al-Khoei assassinated shortly after the holy rival's appearance out of exile in 2003. Formerly an Iranian catspaw, lately he's gagged over some of their more outlandish antics, then went back to catspawry...
, said that the Coordination Framework's intention to hold a parliamentary session and proceed with forming the federal government is a " brazen act."

Al-Iraqi said, "I was not surprised by the positions of (the blatant Coordination Framework) nor by its (blatant militias) when they challenged the entire people, their reference and their sects, that they would resume the Parliament session to form their (blatant government)."

He added, "They have no religion, no morals...what a (blatant tripartite) that does not know the meaning of reform, revolution, peace, or people's suffering."

The Minister of al-Sadr refers to three CF leaders as "blatant tripartite" Nuri al-Maliki, Qais Khazali, and Ammar al-Hakim.

Al-Sadr's minister added, "This group loves corruption, money, and vice, and did not attempt, not even once, to uncover a single corruption file."

"If they do not declare mourning, let them consider the Sadrist Movement and me their number-one enemy."

He called "the neighbor, Iran, to rein in" its forces in Iraq.

Al-Sadr would return as a popular, not political leader, source

[SHAFAQ] A Source close to the leader of the Sadrist movement, Moqtada Tater al-Sadr, revealed that al-Sadr would resume his work within a few days.

Earlier, al-Sadr announced his resignation from political life.

The source told Shafaq News Agency, "Al-Sadr would return to the Iraqi arena as a popular leader, not a political and opposition man, and he would follow steps to oppose the formation of any consensus government that is based on quotas."

"Al-Sadr would not interfere in politics; he will secure popular pressure to prevent forming any consensus government dissolve and run early elections." The source pointed out.

Since the aftermath of the US-led invasion in 2003 that toppled longtime dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq has been governed under a sectarian power-sharing system.

Sadr, whose father was one of Iraq's most respected Shiite holy mans, has gradually grown into a key political player in this landscape, bolstered by a Shiite support base that he often mobilizes to press his demands.

Since elections last October, disagreements between Sadr and a rival Iran-backed Shiite force known as the Coordination Framework have left Iraq without a new government, prime minister, or president.

Tensions escalated sharply on Monday when Sadr loyalists stormed the government palace inside the Green Zone after he announced he was quitting politics.

But Sadr's supporters then left the Green Zone on Tuesday afternoon when he appealed for them to withdraw within the hour -- a demonstration of the cult-like following that earned him his kingmaker status.

Link

Iraq

CF smashed the ‘independent government' with shoes, Al-Sadr's spokesperson

2022-08-02

[SHAFAQ] The spokesperson for Moqtada Tater al-Sadr
Moqtada <q>Tater</q> al-Sadr

...hereditary Iraqi holy man and leader of a political movement in Iraq. He had his hereditary rival al-Khoei assassinated shortly after the holy rival's appearance out of exile in 2003. Formerly an Iranian catspaw, lately he's gagged over some of their more outlandish antics, then went back to catspawry...
, Salah al-Obeidi, said that the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF) "smashed" the project of forming an independent government after naming Muhammad Shia al-Sudani for prime minister.

Al-Obaidi said in a statement, "The Frameworks' calls for dialogue are a new attempt to defraud, far from their suggestion to form the next government exclusively from independent figures."

He added, "The Framework forces started scrambling for positions, so they announced al-Sudani as their candidate, a step smashed the project of the independent government with shoes and distributed the positions among them so that the candidate of the doomed (Nuri al-Maliki) would win.

Tensions have worsened since an October election in which al-Sadr's movement emerged as the biggest bloc with 74 of parliament's 329 seats.

After failing to overturn the result in the courts, the Iran-backed factions set about stymying al-Sadr's efforts to form a government that would include his Kurdish and Sunni allies but excludes groups he described as corrupt or loyal to external forces.

Despite their diminished numbers in parliament, the Iran-aligned groups managed to frustrate al-Sadr by denying the two-thirds quorum needed to elect a Kurdish head of state - the first step towards forming a government.

Frustrated at the deadlock, Sadr instructed his politicians to quit parliament in June. The move ceded dozens of seats to the Coordination Framework, meaning it could try to form a government of its choosing, though this would risk al-Sadr's wrath.

Al-Sadr's rivals then floated a candidate, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, seen by al-Sadr's supporters as a Maliki loyalist. This step appears to have been the final straw for Sadr supporters, igniting the protests.

In a statement he issued earlier today, al-Sadr, the arch-foe of the Shiite Coordination Framework, instructed his followers to push for a complete overhaul of the political system, including a new constitution, and expel the country's elites whom he condemned as "corrupt."

In response, the Coordination Framework said it will defend "the legitimacy of the Iraqi state" against Moqtada al-Sadr's calls to "overthrow the state and constitution," calling for mass counter-demonstrations today.

Link

Iraq

Al-Sadr withdraws from negotiations to form the government, Al-Maliki starts talks

2022-04-01

[SHAFAQ] The leader of the Sadrist Movement, Moqtada Tater al-Sadr
Moqtada <q>Tater</q> al-Sadr

Iraqi politicians failed for a third time on Wednesday to elect a head of state, further deepening a political crisis spurred by infighting following general elections five months ago.

After al-Sadr's statement, the State of Law Coalition said that its leader, Nuri al-Maliki, one of the main poles of the Coordination Framework, would hold talks with other political forces to pave the way for the formation of the next government.

The representative of the State of Law, Thaer Mukheef, told Shafaq News Agency, "The leader of the Sadrist movement has set 40 days for the Framework to form the government with the agreement with other parties."

He added, "There's a high probability that this process will change the political map, and I think that the Kurds may agree on one candidate for the presidency."

"We seek not to exclude anyone, and we hope that al-Sadr would participate in the government, and we will seek to communicate with him about this."

Iraqi politicians failed for a third time on Wednesday to elect a head of state, further deepening a political crisis spurred by infighting following general elections five months ago.

So far, Iraqi politicians have disagreed on a compromise candidate for the presidency, exacerbating a political vacuum that prevents the appointment of a prime minister.

A lack of a quorum, set by the Federal Supreme Court at two-thirds of the house's 329 members, held the vote for the third time since February.

The parliament presidium opted to convert the session to an ordinary session to discuss the lineups of the permanent parliamentary committees.

In a brief statement, the media bureau of the Iraqi parliament said that the parliament speaker, Mohammad al-Halboosi, inaugurated the sixth ordinary session without revealing the number of politicians who attended the session.

A source said that only 152 politicians showed up for the latest vote, and the vote for a new president was delisted from the session's agenda.

Link

Iraq

Islamic Dawa Party renews confidence in Al-Maliki

2022-01-16

[SHAFAQ] The Islamic Dawa Party renewed confidence in its current Secretary-General, Nuri al-Maliki.

A source told Shafaq News Agency; The Islamic Dawa Party held its 18th conference and re-elected al-Maliki unanimously as its Secretary-General for a second term.

Shia parties have become a prominent political actor in Iraq after Saddam Hussein’s fall in 2003. They have played vital roles in shaping constitutional and political processes.

Founded in 1957, Dawa is the oldest of these parties. Between 2005 and 2018, three of its leaders, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Nuri al-Maliki, and Haider al-Abadi, assumed the position of prime minister.

Al-Maliki, 71, is heading the Dawa bloc in the Iraqi parliament, with 33 seats.

Dawa is a leading party in the Shiite Coordination Framework.

Link

Iraq

No technocrats in the new government, source says

2022-01-16

[SHAFAQ] A source close to the Sadrist Movement revealed on Saturday that the next government would be shared by the winning parties in the parliamentary elections, including the Sadrist bloc, stressing that it will not be a technocratic government.

The source told Shafaq News Agency, "The personalities who will manage the ministries in the new government will be a well-known political figure, not independent nor technocrats."

"According to the political agreement among the political forces, the ministerial portfolios in the next government will be distributed according to the electoral entitlements and the number of parliamentary seats."

The source said, "the new government will be consisted of 21 ministries and has been classified into three groups: A, B, and C."

"Group A is the four sovereign ministries: Foreign Affairs, Finance, Oil, and Electricity."

"Group B is the eight medium ministries: Interior, Defense, Planning, Health, Trade, Justice, Education, and Higher Education."

"Group C includes nine service ministries: Industry and Minerals, Communications, Agriculture, Water Resources, Environment, Construction and Housing, Transport, Human Rights, and State Affairs."

It is worth noting that according to the results of the elections, the Sadrist Movement led by Moqtada Tater al-Sadr
Moqtada <q>Tater</q> al-Sadr

...hereditary Iraqi holy man and leader of a political movement in Iraq. He had his hereditary rival, al-Khoei, assassinated only a few hours after the holy rival's appearance out of exile in 2003. Formerly an Iranian catspaw, lately he's gagged over some of their more outlandish antics, then went back to catspawry...
won 73 seats, followed by the "Progress (Takadum)" Coalition led by Muhammad al-Halbousi with 37 seats. Next, the State of Law Coalition led by former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki with 33 seats, then the Kurdistan Democratic Party led by Masoud Barzani with 31 seats.

Compared with 2018 results, The al-Fateh Alliance lost 31 seats, taking only 17 seats in the last elections.

The Framework and the Sadrist met frequently, but the main difference between the two sides still occurred.

On the shape of the government, al-Sadr insists on a majority government while the Framework suggested a consensus.

Link

Iraq

Kataib Hezbollah: ''tough days will pass in Iraq''

2022-01-11

[SHAFAQ] The security official of the Iraqi

Hezbollah Brigades, Abu Ali al-Askari, warned that "tough days will pass in Iraq" after "confiscating the right of the majority."Al-Askari posted on Telegram, "we keep calling for returning the rights to their people until our voices were hoarse. We were repeatedly warned of the danger of confiscating the right of the majority and following the foreign will, especially the British and Emirati."

According to field information and security evaluations, he added, "tough days will pass in Iraq, in which everyone will lose."

Earlier today, an Iranian delegation that included diplomatic personnel and figures from the Revolutionary Guards arrived in Baghdad to contribute to the convergence of views between the Coordination Framework and the Sadrist Movement and unify them in the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament.

A political source told Shafaq News Agency, "The Iranian delegation left the Iraqi capital angry and upset after failing to reconcile the two sides."

"Al-Sadr kept insisting in his decision not to ally with the Framework if Nuri al-Maliki, the leader of the State of Law Coalition, will be a part of the alliance."

The Source told our Agency that the Shiite Coordination Framework categorically refused this suggestion and stressed the importance of allying with all its forces."

He added, "al-Sadr's desire to remove al-Maliki from the alliance and the Shiite House prevent the Iranian delegation from reaching a solution."

The Sadrist Movement and the Shiite Framework recently held several meetings and agreed on many subjects. Still, the main differences are forming the new government and the components of the largest bloc.

On the shape of the government, al-Sadr insists on a majority government while the Framework suggested a consensus.

Earlier, al-Sadr hinted at the political forces allied with him to form the next government, saying, "Any threats will make us more resolute (Tasmeem bloc/ five seats), advanced (Takadum bloc/ 37 seats), and determined (Al-Azm bloc/ 14 seats) to reach an Iraqi democracy (Kurdistan Democratic Party/ 31 seats)."

It is worth noting that according to the results of the elections, the Sadrist Movement won the highest number of seats (73.)

Compared with 2018 results, The al-Fateh Alliance, a leading party of the Framework, lost 31 seats, taking only 17 seats in the last elections.

The Shiite Coordination Framework, which includes the State of Law Coalition and al-Fateh, renewed its call to "all representatives of the largest social component (Shiites), especially the brothers in the Sadrist bloc, to form the largest bloc to preserve this constitutional entitlement and the stability of the political process."

A State of Law member, Aref al-Hamami, warned that excluding his alliance from the next government is "a political suicide," expecting new developments in the coming hours.

Link

Iraq

Kadhimi's Government Aborts Attempt to Forge October's Elections

2021-09-03

[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi government announced its success in thwarting a possible fraud in the early parliamentary elections scheduled for October.

A statement issued on Wednesday by the Prime Minister’s Office said that the security services succeeded, under the direct supervision of the Iraqi judiciary, in implementing a proactive operation that thwarted an attempt to falsify the elections by putting pressure on a number of Electoral Commission employees, with the aim of shuffling the results and stirring chaos.

The statement said: "After careful technical investigations by the concerned bodies, and under the direct supervision of the judiciary, the security services were able to arrest a number of suspects in a group that tried to commit electoral fraud, by using their relations with employees of the Electoral Commission."

"This came with the aim of provoking information and creating political chaos in Iraq, via a network of electronic communication sites, including a site called ’Lady of Green’, where those in charge tried by various means to suggest that it was linked to the office of the Prime Minister, its employees, or the Prime Minister’s advisors," according to the statement.

The Prime Minister’s Office was referring to a new website that published news and scandals some political blocs and figures, including an attack on the visit of the leader of the State of Law Coalition, Nuri al-Maliki to the Kurdistan region last week.

The statement continued: "Some media outlets - particularly those affiliated with some political powers - echoed these false slanders in a manner that lacks professionalism and fairness. This is considered a blatant violation of law and professional principles. Justice found its way to prove the invalidity of these lies..."

Kadhimi’s office stressed that the government would continue to "implement its commitments to secure fair elections, provide all its requirements and maintain its neutrality in terms of competition in the electoral process."

Link

Iraq

Al-Maliki criticizes Plasschaert's ''interference'' in the elections' affairs

2021-07-30

[SHAFAQ] The leader of the State of Law coalition, Nuri al-Maliki, criticized the head of the United Nations
...the Oyster Bay money pit...
mission in Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.

Al-Maliki said in a tweet, "It seems that Mrs. Plasschaert needs to know her role as UNAMI mission's head in Iraq."

"The mission acts upon the Iraqi government's request, and has no authority to interfere in the affairs of the elections except with what the commission needs," adding, "we refuse her proposal to postpone the elections."

The "Iraqi Tribune" announced on Wednesday dropping out of October parliamentary elections, the congress aligned with the leader of the Iraqi National Accord, Ayad Allawi.

The Front is the third political party to withdraw from the Iraqi Parliamentary elections after the Sadrist movement and the Iraqi Communist Party.

Link

Iraq

Thousands of protesters blocked roads and bridges across southern Iraq on Monday, condemning Iranian influence

2019-12-24

[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

Thousands of protesters blocked roads and bridges across southern Iraq on Monday, condemning Iranian influence and political leaders who missed another deadline to agree on a new prime minister.https://t.co/MeK4sLfpPr
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) December 24, 2019

Officials say Iran wants to install Qusay al-Suhail, who served as higher education minister in the government of Abdel Mahdi.

A former key member of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr’s movement, Suhail rejoined the State of Law Alliance of former premier Nuri al-Maliki, who is close to Iran and an enemy of Sadr.

While pro-Iran factions and parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbusi are pushing for Suhail, a source in the presidency says Saleh has vetoed his proposed appointment.

Demonstrators categorically reject Suhail’s candidacy and that of anyone from the wider political establishment.

Link

Iraq

Iraqi FM in hot water after remarks on two-state solution

2019-01-07

This may have something to do with it. Iraqi officials have recently been sneaking off to tour the Holy Land.

[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali al-Hakim angered his cabinet peers this week after expressing support for the two-state solution to the Israel-Paleostinian conflict.

"Iraq believes in a two-state solution to end the Paleostinian crisis with Israel," Hakim said, prompting some members of the Iraqi parliament to demand that he not to take such sensitive stances without consulting the cabinet and the parliament.

MP Hassan Shaker of the Construction Alliance said that it was not the minister’s place to make the statement.

"This does not represent Iraq officially, but represents his individual viewpoint," Shaker said.

Meanwhile,
...back at the shootout, Butch shot Black Bart's gun out of his hand......
a parliamentary bloc named "the coalition of state law," led by former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, called on the House of Representatives to take strict measures against the foreign minister.

Following the uproar, the ministry released another statement reiterating Iraq’s support for the establishment of a Paleostinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

The Iraqi ministry "confirms Iraq’s historic and fundamental stance on the Paleostinian cause and supporting the rights of the Paleostinian people to liberate their land and their people and to establish an independent state with al-Quds as its capital," the media office of the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also said that "Iraq supports Arab and international peace initiatives, including the Arab Peace Initiative, which was presented at the Beirut summit in 2002 and has become a permanent item on the agenda of subsequent Arab summits," it added.

Link

Arabia

Bahrain summons Iraqi envoy over ex-PM Maliki’s recent comments

2018-12-26

[ALMASDARNEWS] Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry summoned the deputy charge d’affaires at the Iraqi embassy on Monday to denounce footage of former Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki criticizing Manama’s crackdown on the Shiite opposition, Rooters said.

The politician attended a meeting last week organized by the February 14 movement, Bahraini activists who Manama designated a terrorist group in 2014.

"Discrimination, marginalization... have reached a severe limit on the people of Bahrain," Maliki said, according to videos from the event.

He was also quoted as urging dialogue with those "demanding freedom and justice" to protect Bahrain and its people, Sunnis and Shiites.

Manama described Maliki’s statements as "blatant and unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain," state news agency BNA reported.

Bahrain, like Iraq, is seen as a flashpoint for the proxy war between the two regional arch-rivals Sunni Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
and Shiite Iran.

Link

Iraq

Rival Iraqi factions make coalition deal and end Al-Abadi’s prime minister hopes

2018-09-14

[ARABNEWS] Pro-Iran parties in Iraq reached a deal on Thursday to join a parliamentary coalition overseen by anti-Tehran holy man

Moqtada Tater al-Sadr
... the Iranian catspaw holy man who was 22 years old in 2003 and was nearing 40 in 2010. He spends most of his time in Iran, safely out of the line of fire, where he's learning to be an ayatollah...
that ends Haider al-Abadi’s hopes of hanging on as prime minister.

The compromise means members of the ruling Shiite Dawa Party will be excluded from competing for the post to lead the next government, negotiators involved in the talks told Arab News.

Al-Abadi, the head of Dawa’s political bureau, who was looking to win a second term, was the biggest loser in the deal. Nuri al-Maliki, the former Iraqi prime minister and head of the State of Law coalition, who was hoping to play a key role in nominating the new head of government also lost out.

Iraqi’s Shiite rivals have been frantically competing to form the largest parliamentary coalition, since elections in May.

Moqtada al-Sadr, one of the most influential Shiite holy mans, whose Sairoon list came first, formed a 154-seat coalition including al-Abadi and his al-Nassir list.

Link

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