THE future of Iraq as a nation has been thrown into jeopardy after a law was introduced to Parliament that would enable the break-up of the country into semi-autonomous regions. If passed, a self-ruling Shiite state is likely to emerge in the south, based on the autonomous region Kurds have already established in the north. It would not only be able to levy its own taxes and govern itself but, Shiite politicians say, would have its own armed guards posted along its borders.
Iraq's Sunni community, which is bitterly opposed to the prospect, has warned it will mark the first step in the break-up of the country and could lead to the south of Iraq becoming a satellite of Iran. The Parliament's Speaker said that delegates must compromise and find agreement on the prospect of federalism, otherwise the country risked not only collapsing but descending into anarchy. "We have three to four months to reconcile with each other," said Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, a Sunni. "If the country does not survive this, it will go under."
The law is almost certain to pass as federalism is supported by both Shiite and Kurd parties, who control two-thirds of the seats in parliament, though it could be amended. The document was being considered on Wednesday by a committee of senior parliamentarians and its contents, including the powers of the new semi-autonomous regions, remained unclear.
Hamid Mualla al-Saadi, a leading member of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), the party that drafted the proposal and has historic links to Iran, said only that it would "define how the regions are formed". This would be done through either a vote in a governing council selected from the region's leaders or via a popular referendum, he said. |