Dinar Iraq News
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki: Iraq within days of ending political stalemate
In an interview with the Monitor, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki says Iraq could announce a new coalition government next week.
By
Jane Arraf, Correspondent /
October 8, 2010
Iraq's
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki shown during a meeting with members of
the Iraqi National Alliance (INA) and the State of Law coalition in
Baghdad, on Oct 1.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says his Shiite coalition is close to forming a government and could announce a new coalition by next week, ending Iraq's long-running political crisis.
“This is not going to be easily determined but the progress of these
talks indicates we have come to near the end of these negotiations,” Mr.
Maliki told the Monitor today.
Speaking in his first interview since he received the key backing of hard-line Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr last week, Maliki says he expects the results of negotiations with the Kurdish coalition and talks with the secular Iraqiya bloc to become clear in the next two to three days.
Although the most likely scenario appeared to involve an alliance with Ayad Allawi,
whose Iraqiya coalition includes many Sunnis, it was still unclear
whether Allawi would accept Maliki’s terms. The proposed alliance with
Mr. Allawi also appeared to sideline the Kurds.
Months of political deadlock
Iraqis
went to the polls in March in the first national election since they
regained full sovereignty. But forming a government that does not
exclude major groups and risk reigniting sectarian violence has proved
agonizingly difficult.
When none of the candidates won enough
seats to form a majority in parliament, Maliki demanded – and obtained –
a recount. Seven months after the election, negotiations have just
recently swung into high gear.
Maliki, who is still more than 20
seats short of the 163-seat majority that he needs in parliament, looks
almost certain to be the next prime minister, unless his main Shiite
rival Adel Abdul Mehdi can muster enough votes.
Allawi will not be president: Maliki
Recent
reports suggest that Allawi could become president, rather than the
next prime minister. But Maliki said Friday that Allawi would not be
Iraq's next president.
“The presidency is essentially spoken for,” says Maliki, referring to the Kurdish claim to the position currently held by Jalal Talabani, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan,
saying they would have to relinquish the position. “Take it from me in
full confidence – the Kurds will not forgo the position of president and
the president will be Jalal Talabani.”
Instead, he says, they were offering Allawi the position of head of a powerful new body named the National Council for Strategic Studies, a decision-making body, as well as the position of speaker of parliament and a share of key ministries for members of Iraqiya.
Maliki says all the parties had rejected a proposal made to them by Vice President Biden
in which Talabani would become a special ambassadorial envoy, Allawi
would be named president, and Maliki would remain prime minister.
American officials have publicly said the US
has not promoted any plan but privately have made clear that they will
back any government that includes Sunnis, Kurds, and Shiites.
The emergence of Shiite power
The war that toppled Saddam Hussein
also paved the way for Iraq’s Shiite majority to take power for the
first time – sending shock waves throughout the region and within the
country’s traditional Sunni political elite. The US decision to disband
the Iraqi Army and outlaw the Baath Party
is blamed for fueling the insurgency. Now, maintaining a balance of
power between Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds is seen as the key to Iraq
holding together.
Maliki has had a roller-coaster ride during
political negotiations over the past several months. Although popular in
the street, he is widely distrusted by most of his former political
allies, who have accused him of not consulting them on national security
and other crucial issues. The Shiite coalition he oversees has
splintered and come back together several times. In its latest
incarnation, the rival Islamic Supreme Council in Iraq has split from
the coalition, while the Sadrists, who withdrew their support for
Maliki, returned to the fold.
The Moqtada al-Sadr factor
Maliki
denies reports that he had promised the Sadrists top security posts in
exchange for their support, but says they would be given a number of
other ministries proportionate to their strength in the alliance. “They
want to participate in the political process and distance themselves
from the violence, militias, and weapons and other tactics that they
used before and we want to encourage them in this matter,” he says.
Mr. Sadr’s paramilitary Mahdi Army,
made up mostly of poor and disenfranchised Shiites, fought US troops in
the streets in 2004. Two years ago, after the militia seized control of
Basra, Maliki sent in the Iraqi Army to retake the city.
The
US has publicly warned against giving the Sadrists a strong role in
government despite their having won the biggest single bloc of seats in
parliament in the March election.
Asked about the likelihood of
negotiating a new security agreement with US forces after they withdraw
from Iraq at the end of next year, Maliki says it would be up to the new
government and parliament to decide whether that was needed.
“Because
we have bought American weapons, it would be customary for the country
that supplies them to also supply expertise,” he says, giving an example
of a possible remaining US military presence here.
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Perdana
Menteri Iraq Nouri al-Maliki yang ditunjukkan semasa mesyuarat dengan
ahli-ahli Perikatan Kebangsaan Iraq (INA) dan Negeri gabungan
Undang-undang di Baghdad, pada 1 Oktober.
Perdana
Menteri Iraq Nouri al-Maliki berkata, gabungan Syiah berhampiran dengan
membentuk sebuah kerajaan dan boleh mengumumkan satu gabungan baru
dengan minggu depan, berakhir krisis politik jangka berjalan di Iraq.
"Ini
tidak akan mudah yang ditentukan, tetapi kemajuan ini ceramah
menunjukkan kita sudah sampai kepada berhampiran akhir
rundingan-rundingan ini," Encik Maliki memberitahu Memantau hari ini.
Bercakap
dalam temu bual pertama sejak beliau menerima sokongan utama garis
keras Syiah ulama Moqtada al-Sadr minggu lepas, Maliki berkata beliau
menjangkakan keputusan rundingan dengan gabungan Kurdish dan mengadakan
perbincangan dengan blok Iraqiya sekular menjadi jelas dalam dua tahun tiga hari.
Walaupun
senario yang mungkin muncul untuk melibatkan perikatan dengan Ayad
Allawi, yang gabungan Iraqiya termasuk Sunni banyak, ia masih tidak
jelas sama ada Allawi akan menerima terma Maliki. Perikatan yang dicadangkan dengan En. Allawi juga muncul untuk meminggirkan orang Kurd.
Bulan kebuntuan politik
Iraq pergi ke pemilihan pada bulan Mac pada pilihan raya kebangsaan yang pertama sejak mereka kembali kedaulatan penuh. Tetapi
membentuk sebuah kerajaan yang tidak tidak termasuk kumpulan-kumpulan
utama dan risiko reigniting keganasan mazhab telah terbukti agonizingly
sukar.
Apabila
tiada seorang pun calon-calon yang memenangi kerusi yang cukup untuk
membentuk majoriti di Parlimen, Maliki menuntut dan mendapat satu
pengiraan semula. Tujuh bulan selepas pilihan raya itu, rundingan hanya baru-baru ini mengayunkan ke gear tinggi.
Maliki,
yang masih lebih dari 20 kerusi pendek majoriti 163 kerusi yang dia
perlukan di parlimen, kelihatan hampir pasti untuk menjadi Perdana
Menteri akan datang, melainkan utama saingan Syiah Adel Abdul Mehdi
boleh mengumpul undi yang mencukupi.
Allawi tidak akan menjadi Presiden: Maliki
Laporan baru-baru ini menunjukkan bahawa Allawi boleh menjadi presiden, dan bukannya perdana menteri akan datang. Tetapi Maliki berkata Jumaat bahawa Allawi tidak akan menjadi presiden Iraq.
"Jawatan
presiden ini pada asasnya bercakap untuk," kata Maliki, merujuk kepada
tuntutan Kurdish kedudukan yang kini dipegang oleh Jalal Talabani, ketua
Kesatuan Patriotik Kurdistan, berkata mereka perlu melepaskan jawatan
itu. "Ambillah dari saya dalam penuh keyakinan - Kurd tidak akan melepaskan jawatan presiden dan presiden akan Jalal Talabani."
Sebaliknya,
beliau berkata, mereka yang menawarkan Allawi kedudukan ketua badan
yang kuat yang baru yang dinamakan Majlis Negara bagi Kajian Strategik,
sebuah badan yang membuat keputusan, serta kedudukan Speaker parlimen
dan bahagian kementerian utama untuk ahli-ahli Iraqiya.
Maliki
berkata semua pihak-pihak yang telah menolak cadangan yang dibuat
kepada mereka oleh Naib Presiden Biden di mana Talabani akan menjadi
duta duta khas, Allawi akan diberi nama presiden, dan Maliki akan kekal
sebagai Perdana Menteri. Pegawai
Amerika telah secara terbuka berkata Amerika Syarikat telah tidak
digalakkan mana-mana pelan tetapi persendirian telah dibuat jelas bahawa
mereka akan kembali mana-mana kerajaan yang termasuk Sunni, Kurd, dan
Syiah.
Kemunculan kuasa Syiah
Perang
yang menggulingkan Saddam Hussein juga membuka jalan bagi majoriti
Syiah Iraq untuk merampas kuasa buat kali pertama menghantar gelombang
kejutan di seluruh rantau ini dan dalam elit tradisional negara Sunni
politik. Keputusan AS untuk membubarkan Tentera dan mengharamkan Iraq Parti Baath dipersalahkan kerana bahan api pemberontakan. Sekarang,
mengekalkan imbangan kuasa di antara puak Syiah, Sunni, dan Kurd
dilihat sebagai kunci ke Iraq yang memegang bersama-sama.
Maliki mempunyai menaiki roller-coaster semasa rundingan politik sejak beberapa bulan yang lalu. Walaupun
popular di jalan, dia secara meluas tidak dipercayai oleh kebanyakan
sekutu bekas politik, yang menuduh dia tidak berunding dengan mereka
mengenai keselamatan negara dan isu-isu penting yang lain. Pakatan Syiah beliau menyelia telah berpecah dan kembali bersama-sama beberapa kali. Inkarnasi
terkini, Majlis Tertinggi lawan Islam di Iraq telah berpecah daripada
gabungan itu, manakala Sadrists, yang menarik balik sokongan mereka
untuk Maliki, kembali ke lipatan.
Moqtada al-Sadr faktor
Maliki
menafikan laporan bahawa dia telah berjanji Sadrists keselamatan
jawatan tertinggi dalam pertukaran atas sokongan mereka, tetapi
mengatakan mereka akan diberikan beberapa kementerian lain yang seimbang
untuk kekuatan mereka dalam persekutuan. "Mereka
mahu mengambil bahagian dalam proses politik dan menjauhkan diri
daripada keganasan, militan, dan senjata dan taktik lain yang mereka
digunakan sebelum ini dan kita mahu menggalakkan mereka dalam perkara
ini," katanya.
Mr
Sadr separa tentera Mahdi Army, terdiri kebanyakannya Syiah miskin dan
disenfranchised, berperang tentera AS di jalan raya pada tahun 2004. Dua
tahun lalu, selepas militia merampas kuasa daripada Basra, Maliki
dihantar dalam Tentera Iraq untuk merebut kembali kota itu.
AS
telah secara terbuka memberi amaran terhadap memberi Sadrists peranan
yang kuat dalam kerajaan, walaupun setelah mereka memenangi blok
terbesar tunggal kerusi parlimen pada pilihan raya Mac.
Ditanya
mengenai kemungkinan untuk berunding perjanjian keselamatan yang baru
dengan tentera AS selepas mereka menarik diri dari Iraq pada akhir tahun
depan, Maliki berkata ia akan kepada kerajaan baru dan Parlimen untuk
memutuskan sama ada yang diperlukan.
"Oleh
kerana kita telah membeli senjata Amerika, ia akan menjadi adat bagi
negara yang membekalkan mereka juga membekalkan kepakaran," katanya,
memberi contoh kemungkinan baki kehadiran tentera US di sini.
Source:
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2010/1008/Iraqi-Prime-Minister-Nouri-al-Maliki-Iraq-within-days-of-ending-political-stalemate
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