BAGHDAD - Iraq’s beleaguered coalition government has been paralysed by sectarian disputes for months, but its divided leaders were on the same page on Sunday in the glow of their country’s Asian Cup victory.Iraq’s Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called the win -- shared by a national football squad of Shiite Arab, Sunni Arab, and Kurdish players -- “a lesson in how to triumph over the impossible to realise victory.” “May you and Iraq live in freedom and victory, with no place for destroyers or killers. Your greatness will remain in the hearts of the Iraqi people, and your joy is stronger than the hate of the terrorists,” he said.
Iraq’s Kurdish president, Jalal Talabani, also praised the team, promising an award of 10,000 US dollars to every player, and 20,000 dollars to Younis Mohammed who scored the winning goal in the 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia. Talabani “expressed his joy at this great victory which has brought happiness to the hearts of all Iraqis, and united all sects around this achievement,” according to a statement from his office. The team “answered the call of the nation and the aspirations of a steadfast people, granting them the moments of joy they have been waiting for,” he added.
Tariq al-Hashemi, the country’s Sunni Arab vice president, called on the players to bring their rare show of national unity to the seat of government, where Kurdish, Shiite, and Sunni lawmakers have been bickering for weeks. “There is still hope for a unified, secure and independent Iraq where all live well. There is still an opportunity, thank God,” Hashemi said. “I call on the team and everyone who works with it to come to Baghdad to mount a peaceful demonstration in front of the Green Zone to call on Iraqi politicians to put their differences aside.”