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Iraq

Three National Iraqi Alliance Members to Stand against Al-Maliki

2010-08-27

At the same time that parties within Ammar al-Hakim's National Iraqi Alliance [NIA] confirmed that negotiations with Nuri al-Maliki's State of Law coalition [SLC] is close to being resumed, the National Iraqi Alliance is preparing to put forward three candidates to compete with al-Maliki for the post of Prime Minister as part of the National Alliance that is made up of the two parties. Baha al-Araji, a senior member of the Ahrar bloc within the Sadrist movement, which itself is part of the National Iraqi Alliance said that "parties within the NIA are convinced that the National Alliance is the only option for those parties within it to form a new government." As for the National Iraqi Alliance vetoing al-Maliki's nomination, al-Araji said that there is "a kind of agreement within the NIA with regards to al-Maliki's nomination." He also referred to the "approval of the nomination of any female figures on the grounds that they have the right to stand for this position [Prime Minister] and in order for the next Prime Minister to be acceptable to all political parties in the country; however we find it difficult to accept al-Maliki." Al-Araji also revealed that "the National Iraqi Alliance will put forward its candidates Ibrahim Jaafari, Adel Abdel Mahdi, and Ahmed Chalabi, for the position of Prime Minister, to compete with the State of Law candidate [Nuri al-Maliki]." As for the mechanism that will be followed with regards to how the National Alliance candidate will be chosen, al-Araji said "there are mechanisms in place through which the National Alliance candidate can be chosen for this position, but there has been no agreement between the two parties [of the National Alliance] until now." In a statement to the press, Mohamed al-Bayati, a member of the National Iraqi Alliance, confirmed that "the State of Law coalition rejects the [National Alliance] mechanism whereby a prime ministerial candidate must obtain 80 percent of votes of the ruling commission (which is mad up of 18 members of both parties)." He also said that he "does not know whether this mechanism will be adopted or whether the National Alliance will rely upon other mechanisms including compromise and agreement with regards to who has the most votes within the National Iraqi Alliance and the State of Law coalition." On the other hand, Haidar al-Suwaidi, who is also a member of the National Iraqi Alliance, confirmed that the political atmosphere between the NIA and the State of Law coalition signals a return to the operation of the joint-committees that had previously been established by the National Alliance. Al-Suwaidi told Asharq Al-Awsat that he expects the two parties "to put forward prime ministerial candidates in the coming days (two candidates for each party)." The National Iraqi Alliance had announced the suspension of its negotiations with the State of Law coalition in July, saying that dialogue between the two parties would remain suspended until the SLC put forward a candidate other than Nuri al-Maliki. In addition to this, Izzat Shabandar of al-Maliki's State of Law coalition confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that "the Sadrist movement has now adopted the view that the National Iraqi Alliance will put forward more than one candidate, including al-Maliki (as the State of Law candidate) and therefore the red line has become green with regards to the latter [i.e. al-Maliki's nomination]." Shabandar also revealed that "after more than one candidate is put forward we move towards a mechanism through which one candidate is elected for the National Alliance to take to parliament." On the subject of the return of dialogue between the NIA and the SLC, Shabandar told Asharq Al-Awsat that "the talk that was suspended with the State of Law coalition who returned to put him [al-Maliki] on the table once more, and therefore the talks will resume." He added that "the National Alliance remaining active is more important than any name being put forward for the position of Prime Minister." As for the fate of the State of Law coalition's negotiations with the Iraqiya bloc that is led by Iyad Allawi, Shabandar said that "the success of the dialogue with the Iraqiya bloc will have national results and result in genuine future unity, however the State of Law coalition's agreement with the National Iraqi Alliance could push Iraq back to square one, especially on the issues of participation and sectarianism." For his part, a government source close to the negotiations between the Iraqiya bloc and the State of Law coalition revealed that the dialogue between them "is ongoing" and that "it is moving at a good pace." He also added that "the dialogue between the Iraqiya bloc and the State of Law coalition is ongoing whether this is in Baghdad or Amman, and on a positive note they may be close to discussing sensitive issues especially with regards to sharing power and authority between the two parties."

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Iraq

Two major Iraq Shiite blocs agree on alliance

2010-05-05

[Al Arabiya Latest] Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's bloc allied with its main Shiite rival on Tuesday, leaving the newly formed alliance just four seats short of a parliamentary majority, a statement said. "An agreement was reached to form a parliamentary bloc through the union of the two blocs, the State of Law Alliance and the Iraqi National Alliance," said the statement, read by Abdul Razzaq al-Kadhami, an advisor to INA member and ex-premier Ibrahim Jaafari. "We have agreed to announce the forming of a parliamentary bloc through coalition between (State of Law and INA)," al-Kadhami said at a news conference in Baghdad. According to full preliminary results from Iraq's March 7 election, Maliki's State of Law Alliance won 89 seats in the 325-member Council of Representatives and the INA, a coalition led by Shiite religious groups, won 70 seats. While the resulting combination of 159 seats is just short of the required majority, the Kurdish Alliance of the autonomous Kurdish region's two long-dominant blocs holds 43 seats and has previously said it would join the new grouping if the two main blocs allied. The Iraqiya list of ex-premier Iyad Allawi took the most seats in the election with 91 but looks set to be squeezed out. Those figures are in flux, however, as electoral authorities are carrying out a recount of votes in the key Baghdad constituency, which accounts for 70 seats.

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Iraq

Maliki aims to form new Iraqi Cabinet within two weeks

2006-04-26

Iraqi prime minister-designate Jawad al-Maliki said Tuesday that he expected to have his cabinet line-up ready for approval in two weeks. "I believe that in the next 15 days we can have a new government and present it to Parliament," the premier-designate told Iraqi state television. An optimistic Maliki, whose nomination in place of outgoing Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari cleared the way for an end to the protracted deadlock, said agreements reached during negotiations over his own candidacy applied to posts in a future cabinet and would speed its formation. "We have prior agreements ... that makes our work easier," Maliki said. Representatives of Iraq's various ethnic and religious groups were quick to stake their claims to ministerial jobs in the national unity government being formed by Maliki. Prominent Kurdish MP Mahmoud Othman told AFP he expected the Kurds to be assigned six of Iraq's 30 ministries, including the Foreign Affairs portfolio they hold in the outgoing government. "If not, we want either the Oil or Finance Ministry," Othman said, adding that the Kurds were not asking for security posts. The main Sunni parliamentary bloc, the National Accordance Front, played down the progress that had been made, saying it "was still premature to talk about ministries."

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Iraq

Jaafari’s Dawa party chooses two candidates for Iraq PM

2006-04-21

BAGHDAD - Embattled Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari is out of the running for the post of premier and his party has selected two other potential candidates, an MP from his Dawa party said on Friday. “We had meetings between ourselves and the Moqtada Sadr group and have come up with two names, Jawad Al Maliki and Ali Al Adeeb, as candidates for the post of prime minister,” said Hassan Al Senaed, a Shiite MP from Jaafari’s Dawa party. The radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr’s bloc has 32 seats in parliament and has been a strong supporter of Jaafari. “Our discussions continue with other groups in the Shiite alliance and also other parliamentary blocs about these two candidates,” Senaed told AFP, adding that Jaafari was no longer a candidate. “We want to check their response and by 4:00 pm (1200 GMT) today, we will present these names to the seven leaders of the Shiite parties that mainly make up the alliance for their consideration.” If the candidates are approved, “the names will be forwarded to the 130 members of the United Iraqi Alliance for a final opinion”, he added. Senaed said that the party was pushing for a consensus decision on the new candidate rather than going for a vote. He further said that the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) will not present a candidate for the prime minister’s post. “It is our understanding with them that if Jaafari withdraws they will not present any candidate to replace him,” Senaed said. In February when Jaafari was selected by the alliance as candidate for the premier’s post, he had beaten SCIRI’s Adel Abdel Mahdi by a single vote. On Thursday, Jaafari indicated that he was ready to drop his candidacy, offering the much-needed breakthrough to Iraq’s political deadlock over forming a national unity government for which elections were held in December.

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Iraq

Shiites won't bounce Jaafari

2006-04-12

Shiite leaders from the powerful United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) have failed to decide the fate of Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari. Kurds and Sunni Arabs have rejected his candidacy to head the next government, a key sticking point holding up its formation almost four months after elections, forcing the Shiites to meet to decide his fate. But Bassem Sharif, spokesman of the Fadhila Party, says the Shiite alliance leaders broke up the talks aimed at resolving the political impasse until Wednesday (local time). Mr Sharif says the secularists led by former premier Iyad Allawi "had reservations about the programs of the alliance and not about Jaafari himself". Mr Allawi's group had also rejected Mr Jaafari's candidacy. As the deadlock continues, an adamant Mr Jaafari is refusing to budge, reaffirming his position that only Parliament could now decide his fate. "I have a principle that I will accept what our people decide," he said. "I was elected democratically by the people and I do not see power as a personal gain but a reward to be given to the people." The dominant UIA, which won 128 out of 275 parliament seats in the December election, chose Mr Jaafari by a single vote in February but his nomination has faced stiff resistance amid accusations he failed to quell violence. The alliance lacks the overall majority in parliament needed to push through a nomination for prime minister on its own.

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Iraq

Sunnis reject Jaafari as Iraq PM

2006-04-11

BAGHDAD - Iraq’s Sunni leaders Monday rejected incumbent Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari’s candidacy as the next premier, their spokesman said. “We have sent a letter to our Shiite brothers explaining that our position remains the same -- that of rejecting Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari’s candidacy,” Thafer Al Ani, spokesman of Sunni-led National Concord Front told AFP. The National Concord Front has 44 seats in the 275-member Iraqi parliament. “They will get the letter in a short while,” he added. Late Sunday Iraq’s other main political faction, the Kurdish group, rejected Jaafari staying on in the post. “We have once again rejected Jaafari’s candidacy,” Kurdish lawmaker Mahmud Othman told AFP after a meeting between leaders of the Kurdish coalition in parliament and representatives of Jaafari’s party. Iraq’s Shiite parliament bloc formed a committee Sunday to decide the fate of Jaafari and end a standoff that has left a yawning power vacuum nearly four months after landmark elections in December.

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Iraq

Mubarak Sparks Fury Over Iraq Comments

2006-04-10

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a major broker in Middle East politics, sparked Shiite fury across the region yesterday after suggesting that Iraq’s majority community was under the sway of Iran. Only parts of it... In an interview first aired Saturday by the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya news channel, Mubarak warned that Iraq was in the midst of a civil war that threatened the Middle East. He also expressed alarm about Shiite Iran’s influence in Arab countries. “There are Shiites in all these countries (of the region), significant percentages, and Shiites are mostly always loyal to Iran and not the countries where they live,” he said. Kind of like Muslims in general, isn't it? You guys consider that a feature when it applies to us, a bug when it applies to you. Ibrahim Jaafari, Iraq’s incumbent premier and a devout Shiite, unequivocally condemned Mubarak’s remarks. “The comments have upset Iraqi people who come from different religious and ethnic backgrounds and have astonished and discontented the Iraqi government,” he told reporters yesterday. He's only stating a fact, like him or not. Iran owns and operates the al-Sadr mob, and they'd own and operate the Badr Brigades if the Hakim family would let them. The Hakims are merely more intelligent than Tater. As Jaafari spoke, he was flanked by President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, and Adnan Al-Pachachi, a Sunni and the Parliament’s acting speaker. ... both of whom have to be polite for the sake of internal politix... Jaafari’s government has come under repeated accusations of collusion with Tehran from Sunni Arab factions in Iraq. Egypt had been one of the main driving forces behind an attempt at uniting Iraqi ranks by sponsoring a national reconciliation conference, still due to take place in the near future. But they're suspect because Egypt's a Sunni nation and their relations with Iran are none too warm... Expressing his anguish at Mubarak’s statements, Talabani said these “accusations against our Shiite brothers are baseless and we have asked our foreign minister to talk to Egypt about this.” In nearby Kuwait, whose population is one third Shiite, Shiite MPs and clerics lashed out at Egypt’s veteran leader. “We are not begging for certificates of loyalty to our countries from Mubarak or others. These are irresponsible statements ... and only serve to incite sectarian rifts,” MP Hassan Jowhar said. “Nothing can satisfy Shiites except a clear, official apology from President Mubarak.” Ummm... Does that mean they're going to riot and burn down the Egyptian embassy?

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Iraq

Debka sez: American troops pour into Iraqi Shiite towns of Najef and Karbala

2006-04-07

The US military command in Iraq dispatched large-scale Marine forces with armor, tank and helicopter support to the two Shiite shrine cities south of Baghdad before dawn Friday, April 7. DEBKAfile’s military sources report the action followed a threat by radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr to overrun the Shiite cities and Baghdad’s Shiite suburb, if the Americans force the Iran-backed interim prime minister Ibrahim Jaafari to step down. Armed Shiite tribesman have smuggled senior Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani and his staff out of the city and harm’s way, amid fears the Mehdi Army may take him hostage. The tribes have taken him under their protection. While US forces took control of central Najef, they are keeping to Karbala’s western suburbs; Sadr’s men occupy the center and are building military positions. In the summer of 2004, US and Iraqi forces crushed a rebellion staged by Sadr at the head of his militia. DEBKAfile’s military sources reveal that since this defeat, the Mehdi Army has developed into the strongest and best equipped armed force in Iraq, outgunning its two Shiite rivals, the Badr Force and Wolves Brigades. The buildup is entirely the work of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and undercover agents. Saturday, April 8, formal talks aimed at breaking Iraq’s political stalemate begin in Baghdad between a US delegation headed by ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and an Iranian delegation. Jaafari’s refusal to stand aside is the main hurdle in the way of a unity government.

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Iraq

Debka sez: American troops pour into Iraqi Shiite towns of Najef and Karbala

2006-04-07

The US military command in Iraq dispatched large-scale Marine forces with armor, tank and helicopter support to the two Shiite shrine cities south of Baghdad before dawn Friday, April 7. DEBKAfile’s military sources report the action followed a threat by radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr to overrun the Shiite cities and Baghdad’s Shiite suburb, if the Americans force the Iran-backed interim prime minister Ibrahim Jaafari to step down. Armed Shiite tribesman have smuggled senior Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani and his staff out of the city and harm’s way, amid fears the Mehdi Army may take him hostage. The tribes have taken him under their protection. While US forces took control of central Najef, they are keeping to Karbala’s western suburbs; Sadr’s men occupy the center and are building military positions. In the summer of 2004, US and Iraqi forces crushed a rebellion staged by Sadr at the head of his militia. DEBKAfile’s military sources reveal that since this defeat, the Mehdi Army has developed into the strongest and best equipped armed force in Iraq, outgunning its two Shiite rivals, the Badr Force and Wolves Brigades. The buildup is entirely the work of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and undercover agents. Saturday, April 8, formal talks aimed at breaking Iraq’s political stalemate begin in Baghdad between a US delegation headed by ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and an Iranian delegation. Jaafari’s refusal to stand aside is the main hurdle in the way of a unity government.

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Iraq

Iraq’s Sadr blames US for Najaf bombing

2006-04-07

KUFA, Iraq - Radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Friday blamed US-led coalition forces for the rampant violence across Iraq, including the deadly car bombing in the holy city of Najaf a day before. “This is not the first time that the occupation forces and their death squads have resorted to killings,” the cleric said during the weekly prayers at the mosque of Kufa, the twin city of Najaf. He was referring to Thursday’s car bombing in Najaf. Ten people were killed and 42 wounded when a car bomb exploded close to the revered Imam Ali shrine in the heart of Najaf and near Sadr’s offices and those of top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani. The bomb went off in the parking lot near the entrance of the Wadi Salam (Valley of Peace) cemetery, forcing authorities to impose an immediate curfew in a bid to stem any outbreak of sectarian violence. Sadr also blamed the coalition forces for the sectarian strife, charging that “they are killing religious Shiite clerics in order to start a sectarian strife”. US ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad was particularly targeted by Sadr in his sermon. “His (Khalilzad’s) presence in all the political meetings is a clear intervention of the US in Iraqi affairs,” Sadr said. He also suggested a plan for a phased withdrawal of US forces from Iraq. “To begin with they should exit the cities and take positions outside the cities and hand over security for the cities to the Iraqi forces,” said the firebrand cleric. In August 2004, Sadr led a bloody revolt against US forces in which hundreds of his Mehdi Army militiamen were killed. He has since adopted a political role and is one of the main supporters of incumbent Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari.

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Iraq

Marines move into Najef

2006-04-07

DEBKAfile Exclusive: American troops pour into Iraqi Shiite towns of Najef and Karbala to meet radical Sadrist militia threat. The US military command in Iraq dispatched large-scale Marine forces with armor, tank and helicopter support to the two Shiite shrine cities south of Baghdad before dawn Friday, April 7. DEBKAfile’s military sources report the action followed a threat by radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr to overrun the Shiite cities and Baghdad’s Shiite suburb, if the Americans force the Iran-backed interim prime minister Ibrahim Jaafari to step down. Armed Shiite tribesman have smuggled senior Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani and his staff out of the city and harm’s way, amid fears the Mehdi Army may take him hostage. The tribes have taken him under their protection. While US forces took control of central Najef, they are keeping to Karbala’s western suburbs; Sadr’s men occupy the center and are building military positions. In the summer of 2004, US and Iraqi forces crushed a rebellion staged by Sadr at the head of his militia. DEBKAfile’s military sources reveal that since this defeat, the Mehdi Army has developed into the strongest and best equipped armed force in Iraq, outgunning its two Shiite rivals, the Badr Force and Wolves Brigades. The buildup is entirely the work of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and undercover agents. Saturday, April 8, formal talks aimed at breaking Iraq’s political stalemate begin in Baghdad between a US delegation headed by ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and an Iranian delegation. Jaafari’s refusal to stand aside is the main hurdle in the way of a unity government.

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Iraq

Rice and Straw make surprise visit to Iraq

2006-04-02

EFL US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her British counterpart Jack Straw make a surprise visit to Iraq, carrying a sharp message of international impatience with delays in the formation of a new government. "I would assume that the fact that we are going out to have these discussions with the leadership is a sign of the urgency that we attach to the need for a government of national unity," she told reporters. The weather forced the two top diplomats to take road transport under high security on the dangerous road between the airport and the heavily guarded Green Zone where they immediately plunged into talks with Iraqi officials. Straw pointedly recalled the heavy investment the United States and Britain had made in Iraq in lives and resources since the March 2003 invasion to topple the regime of Saddam Hussein. Asked whether the involvement could be sustained without greater effort from the Iraqis on the political front, he said, "We're committed to Iraq, very committed. But we need to see progress." Rice and Straw were to confer with President Jalal Talabani, Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari and other leaders whose attempts to form a permanent government were stalled three and a half months after landmark legislative elections. US officials have repeatedly called establishment of a government bringing in majority Shiite Muslims, Kurds and minority Sunnis, the key to their exit strategy for the eventual withdrawal of some 130,000 US troops in Iraq. But the Iraqis have been squabbling over Jaafari's bid to stay on as prime minister as the candidate of the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance, which controls nearly half the seats in the 275-member parliament. The discontent has now spread to Jaafari's own party, with several members for the first time at the weekend openly calling for the prime minister to step down so as to ease the arduous negotiations. Leaders of four of the seven parties in the alliance have expressed their reservations over Jaafari's candidacy and have given him the next few days to placate his opposition or they will remove their support. Kurdish and Sunnis leaders are opposed to Jaafari, arguing he has been unable to contain Iraq's raging insurgency and is too sectarian for a country seeking to avoid collapsing into a civil war. Media reports have suggested that US President George W. Bush was seeking an alternative to Jaafari. But Rice and Straw insisted they had no intention of taking sides in the jockeying for power in Baghdad. "We'll recognize and respect whoever emerges as a leader through this system," Straw said. "Our concern, however, is that they (the Iraqis) have to make swift progress to secure a leader." The two chief diplomats also urged quick resolution of a dispute between Shiite and Sunni leaders over who would land the all-important job of supervising security forces in the troubled Gulf state. The Iraqis appeared to have taken a large step towards settlement of the issue by announcing Saturday an agreement to put security in the hands of a committee that would be headed by the prime minister and his deputy. The trip was Rice's third here since she became secretary of state in January 2005 and the third for Straw this year. Officials said the ministers had been speaking about a joint trip for two weeks and finalized plans only last Tuesday. Officials acknowledged that it was a gamble to stage such a high-profile meeting at a critical time in the political process. Bush has been lobbying for domestic support for his policies but Rice gave critics new ammunition on Friday when she said Washington had made "thousands" of tactical errors in Iraq. She said Saturday she was only speaking "figuratively."

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