Iraq warns against US meddling in Iraqi politics

**Ray** · 01 Apr 06,, 17:33

Friday, March 31, 2006 E-Mail this article to a friend Printer Friendly Version

Jaafari warns against US meddling in Iraqi politics

WASHINGTON: Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari warned against US interference in his country’s politics and defended his ties to a radical Shia militia an interview published in the Thursday edition of The New York Times.

With backing from Shia parties, Jaafari is seeking to stay in office but his candidacy has proved contentious among parliamentary factions that have yet to agree on a national unity government three months after national elections. Jaafari told The Times that certain comments from US officials had undermined President George W Bush’s public stance in favour of democracy in Iraq.

“There was a stand from both the American government and President Bush to promote a democratic policy and protect its interests,” he told the paper in an interview conducted in his Baghdad home.

“But now there’s concern among the Iraqi people that the democratic process is being threatened.”

Jaafari appeared to be referring to US concerns over his candidacy amid reports that US officials were actively lobbying for other figures who might be able to draw support from Kurdish and Sunni leaders, who oppose Jaafari.

“The source of this is that some American figures have made statements that interfere with the results of the democratic process,” he said, without elaborating. “These reservations began when the biggest bloc in Parliament chose its candidate for prime minister.”

Three months after the national elections, Iraqi efforts to form a government have been delayed by bickering over cabinet posts and resistance to Jaafari’s drive to keep his job.

Jaafari’s comments came a day after the White House denied reports from Iraq that Bush had told a top Shia leader that he opposed Jaafari as the country’s next prime minister.

Kurdish and Sunni representatives accuse Jaafari of running a sectarian-tinged government and collaborating with Moqtada al-Sadr, who leads a powerful Shia militia and controls a bloc of 32 seats in the parliament.

But Jaafari defended including militia leaders such as Sadr in the political arena, though he did not say in the interivew what concessions he may have granted to Sadr, the newspaper reported. AFP

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...1-3-2006_pg4_6

This Jaffari is sure to upset the apple cart and put the democratic process to peril!

How can a person be associated with a militia, when the Iraqi political process is in such a delicate turn?

Jaffari must go if Iraq has to have some hope!

I am sure the Iraqis will display maturity.

**Confed999** · 01 Apr 06,, 22:56

Originally Posted by Ray

This Jaffari is sure to upset the apple cart and put the democratic process to peril!

How can a person be associated with a militia, when the Iraqi political process is in such a delicate turn?

Jaffari must go if Iraq has to have some hope!

I am sure the Iraqis will display maturity.

I agree. Sadly, until they can stand on their own feet, the Iraqis are going to have to get used to Coalition nations' hands in their affairs. The only way to have avoided this, would have been to take care of the problems themselves.

**Shek** · 02 Apr 06,, 03:15

Jafaari is trying to earn brownie points to push through his logjammed PM nomination IMO. Standard Middle Eastern tactic. Having a bad day or week, just blame the US. Interesting but not surprising that the it is now the Sunni and not the Shia politicians that like the US better.

**BenRoethig** · 02 Apr 06,, 03:37

As our first act of non-meddling, we will decline to handover the money for his paycheck.

**Ray** · 02 Apr 06,, 09:52

Thank heavens good sense seems to be prevailing.

However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

For first time, Shias ask PM to resign

Jaafari: In trouble

Baghdad, April 1 (Reuters): Senior members of Iraq’s ruling Shia Alliance bloc called publicly for the first time today for Ibrahim al-Jaafari to step down as Prime Minister to break months of deadlock over a national unity government.

“I call on Jaafari to take a courageous step and set a fine example by stepping down,” Kasim Daoud, a senior member of the independent group within the alliance, said.

Other senior alliance officials, speaking anonymously, confirmed that four of seven main groups within the bloc wanted Jaafari to give up the nomination for a second term if, as is all but certain, he fails to persuade minority Sunni and Kurdish parties to drop their refusal to serve in a cabinet under him.

“There is a broad trend inside the alliance who want Jaafari to do this (step aside) and we expect him to do so,” Daoud said.

“We have stood behind him for 50 days and today we have reached the conclusion that there should be a prime minister for all Iraqis, not just one group,” he added.

“Daoud’s call is supported by at least 60 per cent of alliance members of parliament,” another senior alliance official from another group within the bloc said.

“We need another 24 hours before starting the battle” to pressure Jaafari into resigning, he added.

Alliance officials said the seven key groups inside the bloc had met on Thursday and Friday and concluded by a four to three majority to give Jaafari just days to persuade the Kurds, Sunnis and secular leaders to drop their opposition to him.

That seems highly improbable but a committee of three Alliance officials was holding meetings with the Kurds and Sunnis today. A Kurdish political source said:“Our position regarding Jaafari is clear and has not changed.”

The minority groups had formally written this week to alliance leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim urging him to produce a more acceptable candidate. Jaafari beat a candidate from Hakim’s SCIRI party by a single vote in an internal ballot in February.

It was not clear what mechanism might be used to choose a new nominee for Prime Minister nor who that might be. A favourite may be the defeated SCIRI candidate, vice-president Adel Abdul Mahdi.

Jaafari continued to have the support of his own Dawa party, its Dawa-Iraq allies and the movement of Iranian-backed cleric and militia leader Moqtada al-Sadr. SCIRI and its Badr allies, the independents and the Fadhila party were against Jaafari.

US diplomats deny accounts from SCIRI and other alliance officials that Washington has pressured Hakim to drop Jaafari.

However, a US diplomat said today that it was Washington's analysis that any Prime Minister must be both competent and able to unite Iraqis — and that Jaafari did not score well on those criteria. The US, however, had no preferred candidate in mind.

The army said yesterday US soldiers in Iraq and elsewhere can use only body armour provided by the Pentagon even though some have bought their own because they felt what the military provided was insufficient.

Major General Jeffrey Sorenson, the army’s deputy chief for acquisition, acknowledged during a Pentagon briefing there were shortfalls in body armour earlier, but said US soldiers currently deployed have all the military-issued armour they need.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/106040...ry_6046765.asp