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ERBIL,
Kurdistan-Iraq, Jan 4 (IPS) - Clasping his hands
together in a sign of unity, a cheerful Abdul-Aziz
al-Hakim, head of the Shia-dominated United Iraqi
Alliance (UIA) entered the hall in this Kurdish city
amidst applause. Al-Hakim was here to bring Shia
groups from the south and Kurds from the north
(Kurdistan) together in government.
"We struggled together against dictatorship, racism
and sectarianism, and we will be together in
rebuilding the new Iraq," he told the hundreds of
Kurds who had gathered there.
But despite the pleasant reception, past experiences
and new doubts overshadow the process of forming
government.
Al-Hakim is looking for more than partnership in
government. He has made no secret of his bloc's
intention to expand the model of Kurdish autonomous
rule to the southern parts of the country, where the
Shias constitute the majority.
According to the partial results released by the
Iraqi electoral commission, the religiously-oriented
UIA has so far won the largest chunk of the vote in
the Dec. 15 election. But it has failed to gain the
parliamentary majority needed to form the government
alone.
Al-Hakim's visit to the Iraqi Kurdistan region came
as part of the UIA efforts to negotiate the shape of
an Iraqi government.
Multi-party talks had been called at the Dukan
resort near Sulaimaniyah in Kurdistan last week on
forming a coalition government, but the Sunni Arab
and secular parties refused to come.
Sunni leaders had said earlier that they will not
take part in any discussions on a coalition
government until the results of the elections are
investigated by an international committee. But this
week they too came to Erbil to negotiate with
Kurdish leaders.
Sunni participation is regarded as a critical step
in overcoming insurgency and restoring stability to
the country. "I think their broad participation in
the December elections shows a readiness on their
part to bring stability," Bukhari Abdullah, a
candidate on the Kurdish list for the parliament
told IPS.
As efforts to build a new ruling coalition
intensify, Kurdish leaders say they have a number of
conditions that must be met before they enter an
alliance.. These include primarily Kurd control of
the oil-rich northern Kurdish city Kirkuk, which
also has a substantial Arab population.
"The important issues for us are those of Kirkuk and
other articles of the Iraqi constitution ratified
last October regarding Kurdish rights," Sa'di Ahmad
Pira, a senior official of the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan (PUK), the party of President Jalal
Talabani said in a statement.
Shias and Kurds came together in an interim
coalition government after the previous election
Jan. 30 last year. Sunnis had boycotted that
election.
The coalition was marked by constant disputes
between Kurds and the UIA over the administration of
Shia Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari. But according
to some sources, Kurds have again agreed to accept
Jafari as prime minister.
"It is not at all a personal issue between us and
Jafari and we make agreement with UIA as a list, and
not with a person," Pira said. Apart from Jafari,
there are five other candidates from the UIA running
for premiership.
Sunnis disagree with both the Kurds and the Shias
over any form of federalism that would give more
power to Shia regions. "We reject federalism for the
central and southern parts of Iraq because then it
will be on a sectarian basis, but we agree with
Kurdish federalism," Adnan al-Duleimi, head of the
Sunni list, told media representatives in Arbil
Monday.
Many Iraqis say what the country needs is consensus,
not wrangling. Several of the leaders are working in
that direction.
"We have agreed on the principles of establishing a
broad-based government which includes all sides,"
Kurdish President Massoud Barzani said at a joint
press conference with al-Hakim last week.
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