Iraq finance minister resigns

[Houston1099]

Iraq finance minister resigns amidst sectarian tensions

Reuters | 10 hours ago

 

 

 

 

0

 

Iraqi protesters shout slogans during a demonstration in the city of Samarra on March 1, 2013 demanding the ousting of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Protests have been staged in Sunni-majority areas of Iraq in recent weeks, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister and decrying the alleged targeting of their community by the Shia community-led authorities. — AFP Photo

RAMADI: Iraq’s finance minister told crowds of Sunni Muslim protesters on Friday he was resigning, after more than two months of demonstrations demanding an end to marginalisation of their minority sect.

The country’s precarious sectarian balance has come under growing strain as Iraq Sunnis vent frustrations that have built up since the US-led invasion of 2003 overthrew Saddam Hussein and empowered the majority Shia community through the ballot box.

“I came today in order to announce my resignation from this government in front of you,” Rafaie Al-Esawi, also a Sunni, told a crowd of protesters from a stage in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, on the border with Syria.

The demonstrations in the country’s Sunni heartland are fuelling concerns the increasingly sectarian conflict in neighbouring Syria will push Iraq back towards the bloody Sunni-Shia strife of 2006-2007.

It was Maliki’s arrest of Esawi’s bodyguards that ignited the protests in the first place last December.

“More than 70 days of demonstrations and this government hasn’t fulfilled our people’s demands,” Esawi later told Reuters.

“It doesn’t honour me to be part of a sectarian government. I decided to stay with my people.”

Violence has intensified with the swell of Sunni opposition to Shia Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, whose power-sharing government has been all but paralysed since US troops withdrew in December 2011.

Iraqi authorities said Esawi’s bodyguards had confessed to involvement in assassinations carried out in coordination with security men employed by Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, who fled into exile a year ago and was later sentenced to death in absentia for terrorism.

Esawi was once a leader of armed Islamist group Hamas al-Iraq, which was active in Anbar.

http://dawn.com/2013/03/01/iraq-finance-minister-resigns-amidst-sectarian-tensions/

[easyrider]

Good. Get those corrupt S.O.B.'s out of there, things will go faster and the people's demands will be met quicker Maliki's government is collapsing, his power is dwindling .

Edited March 2, 2013 by easyrider

[uncirculd]

Yeah but Isaawi had the goods on him and that is why maliki raided his office and arrested his bodyguards.  It was Najaifi I believe that saved Isaawi from being arrested.  They would have tortured him to in maliki's prisons.   Geez, why didn't they get him a few weeks ago when he tried to talk to protesters.  One of them got him, but not good enough.  I tell you what, if he is not stopped, Iran will be nuking Israel before years end.  Ok, that just me talking.  But I don't think it's that far off.  Iran and Maliki are trying to genocide the sunni's and sunni supporters.  Saudi Arabia can't stand Iran and Maliki.  They both are not trusted in the arab world.  The 3 evil stooges, Assad, Auk Ma Nut, and Maliki with their hezbolla and al-qaeda armies have killed more innocent folks in the middle than we really would like to know.  Assad alone has killed 70 thousand.   

 

Remember the banks that were burned down.  Isaawi's office raid.   The CBI takeover.  Hashemi's arrest.  The attempt to remove Najaifi, the assassination attempts on Talabani, Allawi, Sadr and Najaifi.  All these folks and/or entities have one thing in common.  They oppose the maliki government.  That's just a few.  The main players I know everyone knows.  This fool has been out of hand for some time.  I guess if we can't clean our own house we can't expect them to clean theirs.