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Iraqi parties may unite to dilute
influence of top Shiite
12.12.2006
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December 12, 2006
BAGHDAD - Following discussions with the Bush
administration, several of Iraq's major political
parties are in talks to form a coalition whose aim
is to break the powerful influence of the radical
Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr within the government,
senior Iraqi officials say.
The talks are taking place among the two main
Kurdish groups, the most influential Sunni Arab
party, and an Iranian-backed Shiite party that has
long sought to lead the government.
They have invited Prime Minister Nouri Kamal al-Maliki
to join them.
But Maliki, a conservative Shiite who has close ties
to Sadr, has held back for fear that the parties may
be seeking to oust him, a Shiite legislator close to
Maliki said.
Officials involved in the talks say their aim is not
to undermine Maliki, but to isolate Sadr as well as
firebrand Sunni Arab politicians inside the
government.
Sadr controls a militia with an estimated 60,000
fighters that has rebelled twice against the
American military and is accused of widening the
sectarian war with reprisal killings of Sunni Arabs.
The Americans, frustrated with Maliki's political
dependence on Sadr, appear to be working hard to
help build the new coalition.
President Bush met last week in the White House with
Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the
Iranian-backed Shiite party.
Bush is meeting this week with Tariq al-Hashemi,
leader of the Sunni Arab party.
In late November, Bush and his top aides met with
leaders from Sunni countries in the Middle East to
urge them to press moderate Sunni Arab Iraqis to
support Maliki.
The White House visits by Hakim and Hashemi are
directly related to their effort to form a new
alliance, a senior Iraqi official said.
Last month, Bush's national security adviser,
Stephen Hadley, wrote in a classified memo that the
Americans should press Sunni Arab and Shiite
leaders, especially Hakim, to support Maliki if he
sought to build "an alternative political base."
The memo noted that Americans could provide
"monetary support to moderate groups."
Iraqi officials involved in the talks said they had
conceived of the coalition themselves after growing
frustrated with militant politicians.
"A number of key political parties, across the
sectarian-ethnic divide, recognize the gravity of
the situation and have become increasingly aware
that their fate, and that of the country, cannot be
held hostage by the whims of the extreme fringe
within their communities," said Barham Salih, a
deputy prime minister and senior member of one of
the major Kurdish parties.
Sadr's relationship with Maliki has shown signs of
strain. On Nov. 30, Sadr withdrew his 30 loyalists
in Parliament and six Cabinet ministers from the
government.
Maliki called for them to return, but they said that
they would do so only if Maliki and the Americans
set a timetable for the withdrawal of American
troops.
Sadr reiterated the demand with a fiery message on
Sunday.
Any plan to form a political alliance across
sectarian lines that isolates Sadr and Sunni Arab
extremists carries enormous risks. American and
Iraqi officials have worked to try to persuade al-Sadr
to use political power instead of force of arms to
effect change.
Though it is unclear whether Sadr has total control
over his militia, if he thinks he is being
marginalized within the government, he could ignite
another rebellion like the two he led in 2004.
Some senior American commanders say that the efforts
to make peace with Sadr through politics may have
failed, and that a military assault on Sadr
strongholds may be inevitable.
nytimes com
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