Maliki Given Ultimatum at Leaders Meeting in Erbil

[zigmeister]

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region -- Several of Iraq’s key leaders have given Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki a 15-day ultimatum to deliver on a previous power-sharing agreement that was reached in 2010, Rudaw has learned.

The ultimatum came during a meeting of leaders of some of Iraq’s largest political factions in Erbil.

Iraq’s President Jalal Talabani, Kurdish President Massoud Barzani, Muqtada Sadr, the leader of the powerful Shia Sadrist Current, Iraqi Parliamentary Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi and former PM Ayad Allawi attended the meeting on Saturday.

Informed sources told Rudaw that the United States and Iran have voiced their support for the ultimatum.

“The decisions reached in Erbil are the last chance for Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki,” Speaker Nujaifi said at the conclusion of the meeting at the residence of President Talabani.

“If Maliki does not implement these demands, we will have to adopt other options vis-a-vis Maliki.”

“This is the last chance for Maliki and it is not acceptable if he does not follow the national partnership. Maliki does not have much time and needs to hurry up.”

Giving a “last chance” to Maliki came at the request of Muqtada Sadr, who was invited to Erbil by Barzani; the Kurds agreed.

For their part, the Kurds criticize Maliki for failing to deliver on an 18-point agreement they made with the prime minister. Without the Kurds’ support, Maliki would have not been able to form the government.

Senior Kurdish officials say they have no problem with Maliki despite recent tensions between the Kurdish government and Baghdad.

Speaking to Rudaw, Aref Tayfoor, the Kurdish deputy speaker of Iraqi Parliament, said Iran has been involved in resolving the disputes between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Baghdad.

“Before Sadr’s visit to the Kurdistan Region and Maliki’s visit to Iran, a senior Iranian official visited Baghdad and then Erbil and met with the Kurdish leadership,” said Tayfoor. Iranian officials asked the Kurds to grant Maliki another chance and told Maliki during his recent visit to Tehran to improve relations with the Kurds.

A source privy to the meetings denied some media reports that Sadr carried a message from Iran to the Kurds, saying “Relations between Iran and the Kurds are very good and if Tehran has anything to communicate to them, it would do so directly, not through letters and messages.”

Following the meeting, KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani told Rudaw that “the outcome of the meeting was very good.”

Absent at the meeting were the State of Law Coalition and the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, two of the largest Shia groups in the country. The two factions had received invitations to attend.

Adnan Mufti, a former speaker in Kurdistan’s parliament who attended the meeting, told Rudaw that the Kurds demanded resolution of the outstanding disputes between Baghdad and Erbil as well as further stabilization of the security situation.

“At the meeting, a roadmap was finalized to resolve the issues between Erbil and Baghdad and a timetable has been set for that purpose,” said Mufti.

During a meeting with Kurdish members of Iraqi Parliament, Kurdish President Barzani said the current situation in Iraq “is not our choice. There needs to be a radical solution based on the constitution and other agreements.”

The meeting in Erbil comes as many Iraqis, especially Kurds and Sunni Arabs, are being vocal in their criticism of PM Maliki, accusing him of moving the country toward an authoritarian system.

My link

[Acepup]

“If Maliki does not implement these demands, we will have to adopt other options vis-a-vis Maliki.”

“This is the last chance for Maliki and it is not acceptable if he does not follow the national partnership. Maliki does not have much time and needs to hurry up.”

Read more:

It's on like Donkey Kong!

The Dude Abides...

[Brisco]

Even a fox knows when it's out smarted "Maliki" wise up and Arbil up after all it is for the people. Just think it just might appear that you actually care.

[Princess DinarTard]

time will tell...heck we've all been waiting so long.

hopefully not more smoke

[kennyc]

Hey Maliki, its time to s... or get off the pot. Lets get this thing DONE

[Tropics]

The problem is they make ultimatums with no intention of enforcing them. How many times have they said they will do a no confidence if he doesn't enact erbil but then they don't.

[zigmeister]

Here is the catch, You have Allawi, Barzani, Talibani, Sadr, and Nujafi at the meeting. All of them have power to mess up Maliki's world. Especially the Kurds and Sadr can rock his boat and send him out to sail. If it were not for them he would not be PM today. Hopefully he won't wiggle his way out this time.

[Laid Back]

Maliki still playing games.....He does not have much time and needs to hurry up.

Go Rv

[shabbadude]

Good grab Zig!

He is a slippery little devil... hopefully they have him on the ropes for real and he doesn't have an escape plan... time will tell.....

Hey Acepup... who's the Dude?

[AshInLA]

Good grab Zig!

He is a slippery little devil... hopefully they have him on the ropes for real and he doesn't have an escape plan... time will tell.....

Hey Acepup... who's the Dude?

Obviously I'm not Acepup...but "The Dude" is Jeff Bridge's character in the movie The Big Lebowski

[rocketman2010]

Maliki Given Ultimatum at Leaders' Meeting in Erbil

29/04/2012 15:58:00

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region -- Several of Iraq’s key leaders have given Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki a 15-day ultimatum to deliver on a previous power-sharing agreement that was reached in 2010, Rudaw has learned.

The ultimatum came during a meeting of leaders of some of Iraq’s largest political factions in Erbil.

Iraq’s President Jalal Talabani, Kurdish President Massoud Barzani, Muqtada Sadr, the leader of the powerful Shia Sadrist Current, Iraqi Parliamentary Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi and former PM Ayad Allawi attended the meeting on Saturday.

Informed sources told Rudaw that the United States and Iran have voiced their support for the ultimatum.

“The decisions reached in Erbil are the last chance for Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki,” Speaker Nujaifi said at the conclusion of the meeting at the residence of President Talabani.

“If Maliki does not implement these demands, we will have to adopt other options vis-a-vis Maliki.”

“This is the last chance for Maliki and it is not acceptable if he does not follow the national partnership. Maliki does not have much time and needs to hurry up.”

Giving a “last chance” to Maliki came at the request of Muqtada Sadr, who was invited to Erbil by Barzani; the Kurds agreed.

For their part, the Kurds criticize Maliki for failing to deliver on an 18-point agreement they made with the prime minister. Without the Kurds’ support, Maliki would have not been able to form the government.

Senior Kurdish officials say they have no problem with Maliki despite recent tensions between the Kurdish government and Baghdad.

Speaking to Rudaw, Aref Tayfoor, the Kurdish deputy speaker of Iraqi Parliament, said Iran has been involved in resolving the disputes between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Baghdad.

“Before Sadr’s visit to the Kurdistan Region and Maliki’s visit to Iran, a senior Iranian official visited Baghdad and then Erbil and met with the Kurdish leadership,” said Tayfoor. Iranian officials asked the Kurds to grant Maliki another chance and told Maliki during his recent visit to Tehran to improve relations with the Kurds.

A source privy to the meetings denied some media reports that Sadr carried a message from Iran to the Kurds, saying “Relations between Iran and the Kurds are very good and if Tehran has anything to communicate to them, it would do so directly, not through letters and messages.”

Following the meeting, KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani told Rudaw that “the outcome of the meeting was very good.”

Absent at the meeting were the State of Law Coalition and the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, two of the largest Shia groups in the country. The two factions had received invitations to attend.

Adnan Mufti, a former speaker in Kurdistan’s parliament who attended the meeting, told Rudaw that the Kurds demanded resolution of the outstanding disputes between Baghdad and Erbil as well as further stabilization of the security situation.

“At the meeting, a roadmap was finalized to resolve the issues between Erbil and Baghdad and a timetable has been set for that purpose,” said Mufti.

During a meeting with Kurdish members of Iraqi Parliament, Kurdish President Barzani said the current situation in Iraq “is not our choice. There needs to be a radical solution based on the constitution and other agreements.”

The meeting in Erbil comes as many Iraqis, especially Kurds and Sunni Arabs, are being vocal in their criticism of PM Maliki, accusing him of moving the country toward an authoritarian system.

http://www.rudaw.net/english/news/iraq/4683.html

[JERRY A]

Good article, thanks for the update

[Nelg]

Politicians are notorious for promising the moon, but not delivering on their promises. We have illustrations of that in the U.S. everyday. But this agreement, Arbil, was not just a campaign promise but a signed agreement between to factions of the government. Maliki's position has become an intoxication of power. If he sees his compliance to their demands as capitulation, he will dig his heels in the ground and tell them to go play in the sands of the desert. That would be a bad move on his part. His best move now is simply to do what he agreed to do and show that he is a man of honor.

Good for Iraq and good for us.

[yota691]

Nice article Ziggy meister, finally glad to see this on print!! The choice is yours Maliki are you gonna do your job, or are we gonna be playing the Tune What you gonna do when they come for you, Bad Boys, Bad Boys, What you gonna do!!

[yota691]

[localcats]

Good article to start the day. Thanks Zigmeister.

[army03]

So two weeks "and then what" Mailki will still be around one would think.

Don't just give and ultimatum and do nothing.....

[Papster]

I think the guy behind maliki says it all......................you guys stink....................GO DINAR

[cooked]

So they draw a line in the sand. In 15 days M has done nothing. They draw another line in the sand. Lets hope this is not the pattern they choose. Thanks for the post.

[hoosier1470]

So two weeks "and then what" Mailki will still be around one would think.

Don't just give and ultimatum and do nothing.....

At the end of the two weeks, it will be just about time for them to all take another much needed vacation!!! LOL!! I hope not! I agree, they need to stick to their guns and make Maliki make a move!! God Bless! Go RV!!

[TrinityeXchange]

one important cog in this mechanical mesh of moving parts is "oil leverage". maliki has been dragging his feet hoping to hold out long enough for iraq to produce enough oil to ease the pressure exerted by the kurds. see, the kurds shut off the spigot and said, "give us erbil or the oil stays off". big money has been lost which is hurting the pockets of many interested individuals - not good for maliki politically. well if maliki can ramp up his oil fields, the kurd's leverage softens and maliki will hold the cards. so the kurds are forced to play this hand immediately before baghdad can get her oil situation turned around.

DFC put out their report today and i encourage all to read. it helps us remote investors understand a little bit better what is transpiring over there. This is truly a poli-economic game of mammoth proportions:

May 30-31 - 4th Round Oil and Gas Auction

Watch to see whether Baghdad is successful in attracting solid bids for the Fourth round concessions, which would further strengthen Baghdad's hand vis-a-vis the Kurds. If Baghdad's auction is weak, however, it will cast doubt on the Baghdad approach, particularly in the area of more risky oil exploration as in the 4th Round, which would give the Kurds as well as foreign oil companies an opening for arguing that the terms of the current contracts are unattractive and unreasonable.

Second SPM exports two million barrels in first shipment. Iraq successfully exported its first shipment of two million barrels of crude from the second of four single point moorings (SPMs) floating off the Basra coastline, media reported. The terminals, built by Australia’s Leighton Holdings, each have a capacity of 850,000 barrels per day, and are expected to more than double the country’s export capacity. The first shipment from the new SPM left early on Tuesday, delivering the crude to India’s state-run Indian Oil Corp. Shipments from the first SPM, which came online last month with a capacity of 300,000 bpd were halted, as there is not currently enough oil to feed both terminals. “After bringing a second export terminal online, we are confident that we’re ready to deal with exporting more crude in the future,” a South Oil Company official said. Production from Iraq’s southern fields is set to hit 2.75 million bpd by the end of the year. [source: Reuters]

Our take: We noted last week that the SPMs would undercut Kurdish leverage from their cutting off of oil exports. However, this news item reminds us of two interesting facts. First, the onshore capacity bottleneck is already obvious with only two of the four total SPMs operational, as the first SPM's operation had to be halted because of the lack of onshore capacity to supply both simultaneously. So obviously, while the Kurds' leverage is diminished by the SPMs, the Government of Iraq likely can't completely ignore Kurdish production yet, which passes through Turkey to the north and thus avoids any bottlenecks in the south. Secondly, this is a reminder of the fact that, should Iran follow through with threats to close off the straits of Hormuz, the ability to export northwards to the Mediterranean could certainly become much more important, which would in turn theoretically strengthen the Kurds' hands.

[InItSince05]

I don't see Maliki giving in to this....He'd rather go down in flames!!!

[RRSport]

and I'm sure Iran is involved for the good of Iraq...