Key Iraqi sees loose alliance as future
By Rick Jervis
USA TODAY
12/12/2005
NASIRIYAH, Iraq — A future Iraq should consist of semi-autonomous regions that share the country's oil wealth, the top contender to become the next prime minister said ahead of Thursday's parliamentary elections. (Related: Early voting begins Monday)
Adel Abdul Mahdi, 63, Iraq's vice president and a member of the ruling Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), described a post-election Iraq with a less powerful central government. U.S. and other Iraqi officials favor tight control in Baghdad to maintain national unity.
Leaders of the three main ethnic groups — Sunni Arabs, Kurds and the majority Shiite Muslims — are struggling to end sectarian violence and unite Iraq. Mahdi's mainly Shiite SCIRI, which dominates the 275-seat Transitional National Assembly, previously proposed autonomy for Shiite areas.
Mahdi said he envisions a national army, but each federal region would be responsible for internal security. Mahdi also wants regions to have more control over funding. Southern Iraq "is deprived of money, deprived of power, deprived of everything," he said in a weekend interview with USA TODAY.
Mahdi also said that setting a timetable for withdrawing U.S. forces was not a good idea. He warned that pulling troops out prematurely could cause security to deteriorate further. Concerned about unrest during the election, the Iraqi government said Sunday that it will close all borders and extend curfew hours from Tuesday until Saturday.
Iraq's new constitution states that the 18 provinces, except for Baghdad, can combine to create self-ruled areas like the northern Kurd-run region. Sunni Arabs worry that a Shiite state in the south would deprive them of oil wealth and tear Iraq apart.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Sunday predicted the formation of a coalition government that would defeat the Sunni-led insurgency. Sunni Arab participation will "remove any pretext from the insurgents" claiming to fight an illegitimate government, he said.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, agreed. "I believe that more probable at the present time is for Iraq to hold together," Khalilzad said on CNN's Late Edition. "That's what we seek."
He insisted that Sunnis would benefit from a semi-autonomous system. "It is in their interest," he said.
USA TODAY
12/12/2005
NASIRIYAH, Iraq — A future Iraq should consist of semi-autonomous regions that share the country's oil wealth, the top contender to become the next prime minister said ahead of Thursday's parliamentary elections. (Related: Early voting begins Monday)
Adel Abdul Mahdi, 63, Iraq's vice president and a member of the ruling Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), described a post-election Iraq with a less powerful central government. U.S. and other Iraqi officials favor tight control in Baghdad to maintain national unity.
Leaders of the three main ethnic groups — Sunni Arabs, Kurds and the majority Shiite Muslims — are struggling to end sectarian violence and unite Iraq. Mahdi's mainly Shiite SCIRI, which dominates the 275-seat Transitional National Assembly, previously proposed autonomy for Shiite areas.
Mahdi said he envisions a national army, but each federal region would be responsible for internal security. Mahdi also wants regions to have more control over funding. Southern Iraq "is deprived of money, deprived of power, deprived of everything," he said in a weekend interview with USA TODAY.
Mahdi also said that setting a timetable for withdrawing U.S. forces was not a good idea. He warned that pulling troops out prematurely could cause security to deteriorate further. Concerned about unrest during the election, the Iraqi government said Sunday that it will close all borders and extend curfew hours from Tuesday until Saturday.
Iraq's new constitution states that the 18 provinces, except for Baghdad, can combine to create self-ruled areas like the northern Kurd-run region. Sunni Arabs worry that a Shiite state in the south would deprive them of oil wealth and tear Iraq apart.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Sunday predicted the formation of a coalition government that would defeat the Sunni-led insurgency. Sunni Arab participation will "remove any pretext from the insurgents" claiming to fight an illegitimate government, he said.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, agreed. "I believe that more probable at the present time is for Iraq to hold together," Khalilzad said on CNN's Late Edition. "That's what we seek."
He insisted that Sunnis would benefit from a semi-autonomous system. "It is in their interest," he said.
posted by Hanan Elbadry at 1:32 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home