News
from the Arab part of Iraq
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Iraqi official calls for Shia federal
state
2.8.2006 |
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Iraq's Shia vice-president has
vowed to bring the issue of a Shia federal state
before parliament.
Adel Abd al-Mahdi, a senior official in the Supreme
Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) and
Iraq's vice-president, pledged on Monday that the
Shia Iraqi Coalition - the biggest bloc in the Iraqi
parliament - will raise the issue of a Shia federal
state within two months.
Abd al-Mahdi was speaking at a gathering
commemorating the third anniversary of the death of
Baqir al-Hakim, the former leader of SCIRI who was
killed by a bomb in Najaf in 2003.
"We suggest continuing the establishment of regions.
We are going to submit the project to the parliament
in the coming two months," he said.
Abd al-Mahdi acknowledged the government's failure
in terms of public services and economy.
Baqir al-Hakim (background)
was killed on August 29, 2003 |
Iraqi Shiite leader
Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, the head of parliament's
largest bloc,
Photo:AFP |
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"Achieving public services that Iraqis hope for will
help us in fighting terrorism. We have to hit
terrorism by providing services and achieving a good
economy," he said.
Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim, chairman of SCIRI and brother
of the late al-Hakim, led another ceremony on
Saturday, also commemorating the third anniversary
of his brother's death.
He gave a speech in which he highlighted "a number
of important issues that we should take care of and
give them priority in our daily movements".
Al-Hakim repeated his claim for a Shia federal
region consisting of nine Iraqi governorates
stretching from Babylon, 100km south of Baghdad, to
Basra at the tip of southern Iraq.
He said: "Federalism is constitutionally secured. We
have to work seriously on this issue, and figure out
the necessary mechanism to switch to federalism.
Dear countrymen, this issue is important to your
governorates' security, safety and reconstruction."
Prosperity
He urged his followers to follow the example of
Kurds in northern Iraq who declared their federal
state earlier this year.
"Kurdistan was devastated by wars and suffered the
same amount of negligence you suffered, but now –
thanks to federalism - it has started to enjoy
progress and prosperity more than any part of Iraq,"
he said.
Al-Hakim urged the Iraqi government to give the
Iraqi governorates their constitutional rights to
decide their state of rule.
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