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Iraq’s Premier Narrows Divide, But Challenges Loom !


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CNN. Broadcasting Praise For Abadi In The New York Times While Maliki Pouts From The Sidelines !

 

 

 

Iraq’s Premier Narrows Divide, but Challenges Loom
By TIM ARANGODEC. 15, 2014

 

JP-ABADI-articleLarge.jpg

BAGHDAD — When an Iraqi court sentenced a prominent Sunni politician to death recently, it seemed like an unmitigated disaster for the country’s new prime minister, Haider al-Abadi.

Mr. Abadi, after all, had taken office with an international mandate to create a more inclusive government, and win the trust of Iraq’s disaffected Sunnis so they would fight Islamic State militants rather than support them. But the verdict, on capital murder charges brought by the previous government against the politician, Ahmed al-Alwani, prompted the defendant’s Alwani tribe to threaten that it would stop battling the Islamic State.

Mr. Abadi swung into action. He immediately contacted Sunni officials and Alwani tribe members, assuring them that there would be no execution. And he urged them to solve the matter by the tribal tradition of paying “blood money” to the families of the victims, two soldiers who were killed in a gun battle when commandos came to arrest Mr. Alwani last year.

His handling of the crisis in November was the most tangible sign yet that Mr. Abadi was successfully shifting the tone of politics here, and that courting Sunnis could help the government battle the Islamic State more effectively. Reassured by Mr. Abadi’s outreach, the Alwani tribe stayed in the fight on the government’s side.

In nearly every way, Mr. Abadi has so far been a different leader than his predecessor, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, despite their common Shiite political bloc. And though the obstacles facing his government are vast, and he faces political challenges within his own party, his early performance has encouraged a wide array of Iraqi and Western officials.

In his first months in office, Mr. Abadi has already appeared three times before Parliament, something Mr. Maliki did only twice in eight years.

Mr. Abadi has fired incompetent and corrupt military commanders appointed by Mr. Maliki and rooted out 50,000 so-called ghost soldiers, no-show troops for whom commanders nevertheless collect salaries.

In his signature success so far, Mr. Abadi reached a deal to share oil revenue with the Kurds in northern Iraq, an issue that Mr. Maliki had pushed nearly to the point of Kurdish secession.

“He is doing all the things we feared he wouldn’t be doing,” said Gyorgy Busztin, the deputy special representative for the United Nations in Iraq. “I respect him more and more each day.”

While many officials credit Mr. Abadi’s conciliatory style for much of the improved political atmosphere, they say the changes also point to a larger shift: a new sense of urgency among Iraq’s leaders that finally — after years of crises — the country could break apart in the face of the threat from the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. The Sunni extremist group’s march across a vast swath of Iraq has been aided by the sectarian hostility that Mr. Maliki’s rule inflamed.

“Almost everyone recognizes that this is the last chance for this country to survive as Iraq as we know it,” said Ayad Allawi, an Iraqi vice president who was appointed by Mr. Abadi to oversee reconciliation programs.

He added, of Mr. Abadi, “everyone is giving him a chance.”

Still, the obstacles facing Mr. Abadi’s government remain vast.

Kirk Sowell, a Jordan-based political risk analyst and publisher of the newsletter Inside Iraqi Politics, said that even though Mr. Abadi had succeeded in doing away with sectarian intimidation, “at the same time, it’s important to say how weak he is.”

A third of the country is beyond Mr. Abadi’s control and in the hands of militants. As commander in chief, he does not even control all of the country’s security forces. While attempts have been made to bring Shiite militias under government control, the reality is that many operate with impunity and continue to commit abuses against Sunnis, human rights activists say.

Ominously, Mr. Abadi also faces constraints from hard-line factions within his own Shiite constituency.

Osama Nujaifi, the Sunni vice president, said that even though Sunni officials were optimistic about Mr. Abadi’s intentions, they remained worried about the “old guard,” a reference to Mr. Maliki and his cronies, who many believe are working behind the scenes to undermine Mr. Abadi.

“Maliki is absolutely convinced that he will be back sometime in 2015,” said one Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid angering Iraqi officials.

In the Alwani case, Mr. Abadi’s advisers, as well as diplomats and other Iraqi officials, saw something sinister at work: the hand of Mr. Maliki, who many believe still exerts influence within Iraq’s judiciary. Mr. Abadi’s advisers privately say they were shocked at the verdict, especially because Mr. Abadi himself, according to Mr. Nujaifi, had privately asked Iraq’s top judge to delay a decision.

“Maliki’s control over the justice system was on full display” in the Alwani death sentence, wrote Renad Mansour, an Iraq scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

For their part, Mr. Maliki’s supporters deny that the former prime minister is working against Mr. Abadi, though they have begun publicly criticizing the new prime minister’s policies.

Abbas al-Mussawi, a spokesman for Mr. Maliki, said, “Maliki had nothing to do with the Alwani death sentence, and he never interferes.” More broadly, Mr. Mussawi said it was too early to assess Mr. Abadi’s performance in office, but said Mr. Maliki believed it was “incorrect” that there were more than 50,000 ghost soldiers on Defense Ministry payrolls, as Mr. Abadi has claimed, and asked for a parliamentary investigation into the matter.

Balancing two imperatives — accommodating Sunni concerns without alienating Shiites — has required Mr. Abadi to walk a fine line, sometimes taking private actions that diverge from his public comments.

In the Alwani case, for instance, Mr. Abadi gave private assurances to Mr. Alwani’s tribe and Sunni leaders that there would be no execution. Publicly, however, he supported the independence of the judiciary, saying he had no right to intervene. He even criticized a recent Human Rights Watch report that urged him to order a stay of execution and highlighted claims that Mr. Alwani, who has denied firing the weapon that killed the two soldiers, had been tortured and was refused access to lawyers.

Still, it was clear that the verdict posed a crucial moment for Mr. Abadi. Mr. Alwani’s own tribe was fighting alongside the government in Anbar Province, and after the death sentence threatened to lay down their guns.

Sheikh Adnan al-Mahnna, a tribal leader in Ramadi and Mr. Alwani’s uncle, said he was satisfied with how Mr. Abadi had handled the case, and that for now his men would keep fighting the Islamic State.

“We are fighting ISIS, we will keep fighting ISIS, unless the government breaks its promises on this case,” he said.

On other major issues, including the accord with the Kurds and an internationally backed plan to establish Sunni-led National Guard units to bolster the government’s security forces, Mr. Abadi continues to face pushback from fellow Shiites, especially Mr. Maliki.

Mr. Maliki has opposed the deal with the Kurds, called the fall of Mosul to the Islamic State in June a conspiracy orchestrated by the Kurds and warned against arming Sunni tribes to fight ISIS. He has also traveled, tending to his relationships with regional Shiite powers, meeting Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the militant Shiite movement Hezbollah in Beirut, and top officials in Iran.

Mr. Maliki has also refused to vacate his prime minister’s offices and palace in Baghdad’s Green Zone, but has given up his state-owned jet.

In taking on corruption within the military and removing officers who were loyal to Mr. Maliki, Mr. Abadi is making plenty of enemies, and fears for his safety have been raised in conversations within the Green Zone. This is Iraq, after all, where the usual exit from power is the coffin.

Visiting the city of Karbala recently ahead of an important Shiite religious holiday to mark the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, Mr. Abadi said he would continue to root out corruption in government ministries.

He vowed not to back off, “even if I get assassinated because of it.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/16/world/iraqs-premier-has-narrowed-nations-divide.html?_r=0

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Here's More Luv For Abadi ...

 

 

National: Cabinet system and the agreement with Erbil most prominent achievements of the Government of al-Abadi in 100 Days

Thu Dec 18 2014 six fifty-eight | (Voice of Iraq) - Add comments - Baghdad / Mohammad Sabah 
saw the National Alliance, the largest parliamentary blocs, that the government of al-Abadi many accomplishments achieved during the hundred days of its mandate, referring to the adoption of the rules of procedure of the Council of Ministers and the settlement of the dispute with Kurdistan region, as well as re-establishing ties with Turkey and the Gulf as the leading government achievements. 

He disclosed Congress Alliance for the end of the State Committee of the study file "National Guard" and predicted a vote early next year, as confirmed that al-Abadi pledged decisively file independent bodies within the month.

The government won parliamentary confidence Abadi on the eighth of September, after it was passed by majority vote on. The internal and external pressures contributed to carry State of Law coalition leader Nuri al-Maliki to step down from running for Ebadi, who was voted the beginning of September as vice president of the House of Representatives. On the achievements of the current government during the first 3 months, says Jassim Mohammed Jaafar, MP for mass coalition of state law, that the challenges facing many Abadi government is down world oil prices and the control of terrorist groups on several provinces and fight aliens in the security institutions as well as the openness of Iraq Gulf states. 

" The head of the Iraqi Council of Ministers, Haider al-Abadi, announced in, (the thirtieth of November 2014), during a speech at hosted by the Iraqi Council of Representatives, the discovery of 50 thousand fictitious name (space) in the four military teams, through one month, stressing that it is the abolition of those jobs. He added Jaafar, in an interview with the "long", that "all of these conditions constitute a pressure on the government of al-Abadi in its commitment Balmamd specified in the national document," but emphasizes that "the government was completed during the period the past few rules of procedure of the Council of Ministers and will provide project of the National Guard bill to the House of Representatives at the beginning of next month.

" Under the national document, under which the Government of Haider al-Abadi was formed last September, the "legislation of the National Guard Law, and the adoption of the rules of procedure of the Council of Ministers, and the formation of a committee of balance and approval of the Federal Service Act within three months, with the resolution of the dispute over the link independent bodies, and activating the work of the jaw and insulation problem to resolve the dispute over the ownership of the Waqf property ". 

The former minister disclosed that "the Prime Minister told a coalition of state law in its last meeting that he would send a draft of the national guard the law to parliament early next month," pointing out that "the State Committee, consisting of Haider al-Abadi and Bahaa al-Araji and Rose Nuri Shaways and Saleh al-Mutlaq and supervising the preparation of this project has completed its work.

" The attention of a member of a coalition of state law that "the government has formed, since its parliamentary confidence, a tripartite committee consisting of the Prime Minister and his deputies to restore balance in the military, and recently, transfer and dismissal of a lot of Officers ", adding that" rebalancing in the military will depend ratio of the population mechanism for each component that has been agreed upon earlier.

" sees MP for the Islamic Dawa Party, said, "Abadi has made ​​a lot of national paper during cent items last day," explaining that "The prime minister of the Commission advisers, headed by Thamer Ghadhban which will monitor and track all ministries by providing detailed reports on its activities every three months," ruling out "the dismissal of any minister deficient in the coming period cost due to lack of liquidity in the budget next year.

" turn says Hussein sarees , leader of the Supreme Islamic Council, "The government of al-Abadi was able during the last three months of the fight against the aliens, which numbers more than 50 thousand and the fight against the corrupt." He adds force, in a statement to the "long", saying that "over the past few days the government Abadi managed to break the political deadlock between the Iraqi parties and completed the oil agreement between Kurdistan and Baghdad and the restoration of diplomatic relations with Turkey, the Gulf states, which was in crisis in the past years.

" confirms a member of the bloc citizen, led by Ammar al-Hakim, that "there is monitoring and follow-up by the government to accomplish lagging projects," persisting saying "if the government continued to provide the achievements of every three months in this way we will be able to fight the corrupt and terrorism." on national document, which delayed Abadi in completed items , says in effect that "among the points that were delayed and will be resolved during the current month, the subject of ending the file of independent bodies after being examined by the National Alliance."


Read more: http://www.sotaliraq.com/mobile2014.php?id=179894#ixzz3MDm9IN32

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And Here Is More Jeers For Maliki ...

 

 

Abadi government is trying to get rid of the heavy legacy of al-Maliki

18-12-2014 11:06 AM
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Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, on Wednesday, that the threat to Iraq has priority and sequencing of Egypt with great interest, calling on the government of al-Abadi to the need to preserve the unity of Iraq and the restoration of relations with neighboring countries. 

And the price of thanks, during a news conference with his Iraqi counterpart, " the positive steps that the Iraqi government embarked on the adoption of the internal and external levels, "inviting them to complete their efforts in this direction, including the continuation of the move towards the restoration of relations with neighboring countries so as to contribute to Iraq's return to its natural role in the Arab system. The government is trying Abadi rid of heavy legacy of former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, both in terms of Baghdad's foreign relations, particularly with the Arab countries or in a relationship at home and especially policy of marginalization and discrimination pursued by al-Maliki with the Sunni community, which still hardwired to today through the procrastination of the current government in arming Sunni tribes in the face Daash, as opposed to monitor a large support for Shiite militias. He condemned the Egyptian foreign minister, during a press conference, "all forms of terrorism practiced by organizing Daash and other extremist militias, which is based in religion as a cover for its abuses against innocent citizens in Iraq and the Arab world", in reference to the Shiite militias. Shukri said that his country is working with Iraq to control the flow of foreign fighters to their lands, and protect the possibility of attracting citizens when traveling to some of the neighboring countries to those extremist groups, and that the security measures taken recently by Egypt to travel to some countries (Turkey and Libya) came in order to make sure destination to visit citizens. The Badr Abdulaati spokesman for the Egyptian and foreign, had confirmed earlier in private for "Arabs" statements that the Minister Sameh Shoukry talks in Iraq focused mainly on the internal situation, and ways to cope with terrorist organizations, and efforts in the management of an inclusive political process in Iraq, with the participation of all national political forces, regardless of ethnic, sectarian and religious affiliations. " locked Iraq war against al-Islamic state known Bdaash, Sunni tribes and the Shiite militias participate under the name of the popular crowd. accuses Shiite militias backed by Iran of committing abuses and violations of human rights especially among the Sunni community, the pretext to fight Daash raising the level of sectarian tension in the country in the recent period.

http://www.ahraraliraq.com/index.php?page=article&id=38232

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