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Sadr and the Kurds
8.6.2012
By Hiwa Osman
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Ekurd.net |
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Hiwa Osman, IWPR Iraq’s country director, previously
served as Iraqi president Jalal Talabani’s media
adviser. •
Read more by the Author
June 8, 2012
While the views have differed over the involvement
of others in the conflict between Baghdad and Erbil
and the new turn of events in the Iraqi crisis by
the involvement of Muqtada al-Sadr; the events have
certainly tipped the political balance strongly in
his favour and has made him the de facto person to
look to for a solution.
The Kurds today may say. That the conflict with
Baghdad is no longer a Barzani and Maliki one, it
has become an Iraqi wide issue, especially after the
joining of Sadr to the anti- Maliki meetings.
But the risk here is that they could be
strengthening Sadr’s position in his dealings with
Maliki without a real guarantee of him staying with
the kurds all the way. We all remember when sadr did
a poll in his movement to chose a PM and Jafari was
the winner but Sadr changed his mind and decided to
support Maliki for PM.
The Kurds are running this risk at the expense of
loosing some real allies within the Shia alliance.
The statement of ammar alhakim after being
re-elected as the leader of the Iraqi Supreme
Islamic council, that a majority would not solve
problems and that the problems can not be solved in
this city or the other was a clear massage of his
lack of support for these efforts and a message for
those who are trying to befriend Muqtada or give him
a more favourable place than him. His call for
solving the issues in parliament was an important
signal of him notbeijing so much against Maliki.
All of these developments have certainly changed the
status of the Kurds in the Iraqi political scene and
has not made them more popular in the complicated
and ill-informed Arab public.
Especially with the more proactive media tactics and
strategy of Maliki, like his NRT and Awene
interviews and the less aggressive media strategy of
the Kurds in trying to reach the Arab audience of
Iraq. As a result the majority of the Arab public
have sided with maliki. even those who are not with
Maliki are not that open in supporting the Kurdish
position to their public.
The other complicating factor for the Kurdish
position is that lack of transparency in these talks
and the process in general. The people only hear new
information when there is a problem between the
previously allied parties. The. Meeting in Najaf and
previously the Erbil accords are good examples of
this secretive nature of the leaders talks until
their alliance falls apart.
Regardless of the Kurdish aspirations and plans for
their future with or without Iraq,www.ekurd.net
they need to maintain a good relationship with the
Arab population and a special status in Iraqi
politics.
The meeting in Najaf was a consolidation of
Muqtada’s new political role in solving the crisis
in Iraq, especially after his visit and meetings in
Erbil. His press conference after the meeting was
also a strong indication in his growing confidence
in himself as a saviour of the country and as the
person who is standing in the middle.
The way things are heading now, we will soon hear
him soon saying that he stands at equal distance
from all. A position that was log held by the Kurds.
Hiwa Osman is IWPR’s country director in Iraq, previously
served as Iraqi president Jalal Talabani’s media
adviser, a regular contributing writer and columnist for
Ekurd.net. Osman's
website is www.hiwaosman.com
Copyright © 2012 ekurd.net
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