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Iraqi Sunnis slam new Shiite, Kurdish
alliance
18.8.2007
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August 18, 2007
BAGHDAD, -- Leaders of Iraq's disenchanted
Sunni Arab community on Friday slammed the new
Shiite and Kurdish alliance formed to salvage Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki's national unity government.
Maliki and President Jalal Talabani, however, made
fresh attempts on Friday to win support from members
of the former elite.
The National Concord Front, the main Sunni Arab
political bloc in the country's 275-member
parliament, said the new tie -up between the two
Shiite and two Kurdish parties was a "futile"
exercise.
On Thursday, Talabani and Maliki announced the
forming of the alliance which brought
together Shiite Dawa party and Supreme Iraqi Islamic
Council and the Kurdish factions of Patriotic Union
of Kurdistan (PUK) and Kurdish Democratic Party (PDK).
The National Concord Front led by Sunni Vice
President Tareq al-Hashemi's Iraqi Islamic Party had
boycotted talks which led to the new bloc's
creation.
"The leaders should not have announced the alliance
before convincing all the effective political
leaderships ... whose participation could have
broken the stagnation (in the political process) and
convinced the boycotting parties," the Front said in
a statement Friday.
The Sunni bloc has 44 members in the assembly and
has also withdrawn its ministers from Maliki's
Shiite-led government since August 1, effectively
paralysing the political process in Iraq.
"The Front urges all parties to put pressure on the
government to reactivate a real participation in the
political process rather than have an arrangement
where there is no authority to other parties (who
are outside the alliance)," the Front said.
In a separate statement Hashemi offered to support
the new alliance only if "it serves the country."
"I apologise for not participating due to subjective
reasons which are clear to you and we hope you would
not misunderstand our views," Hashemi said directing
his statement to the allince's leaders.
"The Iraqi Islamic Party would continue to work and
execute its role for unity. I pledge to support all
the good work (of the alliance) as long as it serves
the country."
Leaders of Iraq's divided Shiite, Kurdish and Sunni
communities have often clashed on security,
political and social issues, leading to delays in
the passage of crucial legislative laws aimed at
rebuilding the country.
Washington has warned Iraq's leaders to work harder
on unity, concerned that the political stalemate
could torpedo efforts to reconcile the warring
factions and undermine the work of 155,000 American
troops to end the conflict.
Since the US-led liberation of March 2003, Iraq has
plunged into an abyss of overlapping civil conflicts
that have divided its rival religious and ethnic
communities, leaving tens of thousands of civilians
dead.
Shiite parties suspect Sunni leaders, whose minority
sect dominated political power under executed
dictator Saddam Hussein, of supporting insurgents.
Sunni leaders accuse the Shiite parties of ties with
powerful neighbour Iran and condemn their alleged
complicity with Shiite militias who according to the
US military are involved in killing Sunni Arabs in
the sectarian conflict.
On Friday, Maliki and Talabani attempted to woo the
Sunnis again.
During a visit to the northern Sunni city of Tikrit
-- the hometown of Saddam -- Maliki said the tribal
leaders of Salaheddin of which Tikrit is the capital
deserved praise in their "fight against terrorists."
"We are the sons of one country. Whatever our races
and sectarian affiliations be, our one country will
unite us," a statement from his office quoted him as
telling to tribesmen and Iraqi army officers in
Tikrit.
He added the process of national reconciliation
involved "respecting the point of view of each
other."
In a separate press conference in Baghdad, Talabani
said the new alliance was "determined to reach an
agreement with the brothers in the Concord."
Without elaborating Talabani said many of the
demands of Hashemi were "also just and we must
respect them."
"The reasonable demands must be looked at in a
positive way by the government."
Washington wants the Iraqi government to re-engage
the ousted elite in the political process in a bid
to sever its alleged support for insurgents.
AFP
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