Allawi’s Bloc Quits Government
Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi
Three secularist ministers who were already boycotting meetings of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s cabinet will formally quit the government, their bloc says.
The move by the secularist group of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi deals a further blow to Maliki’s efforts to rebuild a national unity coalition, which has been crumbling since the main Sunni Arab group and others walked out.
“The Iraqi List has decided to withdraw from the government and we will send a memo to the government to inform them of our stance at the beginning of next week,” a senior member of the bloc, Iyad Jamal al-Deen, told Reuters.
The bloc has five ministers in the government, three of whom were now quitting, while a fourth, the justice minister, had already resigned, he said. The fifth, a member of the Communist Party, was not participating in the walkout.
Jamal al-Deen said the bloc, which began boycotting cabinet meetings on August 7, opposed the handing out of government jobs on sectarian lines and was now pulling out because Maliki had not responded to its call to end the practice.
Declassified findings of a US intelligence estimate have given a gloomy prognosis for Maliki’s efforts at reconciliation.
“Levels of insurgent and sectarian violence will remain high and the Iraqi government will continue to struggle to achieve national-level political reconciliation and improved governance,” the findings said.
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That’s because Maliki keeps dissing the Sunnis in fovor of the Shit-ites….so much so that he contibues to award Iraqi govt contracts to Iran. He has thus given Iran an opening to filter into Iraq elements of Al-Quds.
Iraqis know this jerk is in Iran’s back pocket. And they are tired of his ass.
Alawi is the only real alternative to Maliki. Unless Iraqis want another strongman…in which case Al-Douri might be the guy.
In any case Iraqis as a whole…and in general…need strong adult supervision…They don’t need an Iranian/mookie sock puppet.
August 24th, 2007 at 6:25 amCut the crap.
August 24th, 2007 at 6:25 amIf all these factions quit; does this not leave a forced new election?
August 24th, 2007 at 4:42 pmPerhaps that is the strategy; force a new election.