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Top Shiite cleric deals blow to al-Maliki leadership


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Top Shiite cleric deals blow to al-Maliki leadership

Stanglin_Doug.pngDoug Stanglin, USA TODAY9:28 a.m. EDT June 20, 2014
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(Photo: Ahmad al-Rubaye AFP/Getty Images)

 

With Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. military advisers heading to Iraq, political support for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was dealt a serious blow Friday with a call by the spiritual leader of Iraq's Shiite majority for a new, "effective" government.

"It is necessary for the winning political blocs to start a dialogue that yields an effective government that enjoys broad national support, avoids past mistakes and opens new horizons toward a better future for all Iraqis," al-Sisanti said in a message delivered by his representative Ahmed al-Safi in the holy city of Karbala.

The Iranian-born recluse, who lives in the holy city of Najaf south of Baghdad, is deeply revered by Iraq's Shiites.

The cleric's thinly veiled comments suggested that the prime minister was to blame for the nation's crisis as Sunni militants have joined forces with the al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).

It was al-Sistani's appeal last week that prompted thousands of Shiites to volunteer to fight against the military threat by ISIL.

Al-Sistani's Friday sermon also called for the newly elected parliament to begin work and start the process of forming the next government without delay, Reuters reports. Maliki's party won the most seats in last month's election, but his coalition fell short of a majority.

The none-too-subtle vote of no-confidence in al-Maliki follows equally lukewarm remarks by President Obama toward the prime minister in announcing that he is sending up to 300 U.S. troops to Iraq to help train Iraqi security forces and target insurgents.

"We've said publicly, that whether (al-Maliki) is prime minister or any other leader aspires to lead the country, that there has to be an agenda in which Sunni, Shiite and Kurd all feel that they have the opportunity to advance their interest through the political process," Obama said Thursday.

"Only leaders that can govern with an inclusive agenda are going to be able to truly bring the Iraqi people together and help them through this crisis," Obama said.

It was a theme echoed by Kerry, who will be heading to Baghdad this weekend. He told reporters in Washington that the only way to fight the militant group "is through strong coordination by Iraqi leaders across the full spectrum of Iraqi society and with the support of the surrounding nations."

"The next days will decide whether or not that is the direction chosen, but it is really in the hands of Iraqis to determine their future, and we will do everything in our power to keep faith with our soldiers who expended so much in the effort to provide Iraqis with exactly this kind of a choice," Kerry said. "But it is truly up to the leaders now to make those choices, and we'll do everything we can to encourage it."

Critics have accused al-Maliki of marginalizing -- and angering -- the country's Sunni and Kurdish populations. Sunnis, who were dominant in the military and government of the now-ousted Saddam Hussein, have joined forces with ISIL in the recent upsurge in violence.

The revolt was sparked in large part by al-Maliki's efforts last year to crush protests by Sunnis complaining of discrimination under his Shiite-led government.

Militants have taken over the city of Fallujah in the western, Sunni-dominated province of Anbar and parts of the provincial capital, Ramadi. Iraqi army and police forces battling them for months have been unable to take most areas back.

Iraqi Kurds, who are dominant in the northern regions, have likewise accused al-Maliki of ignoring their interests and excluding them from decision-making positions in government.

In a sign of the sharpening economic and military pressure, militants and government forces are battling for control of the Beiji refinery, the country's largest, 155 miles north of Baghdad.

By late Thursday, the two sides held different parts of the refinery, which is spread over several square miles of desert.

The army officer in charge of protecting the refinery told The Associated Press on Friday that he believed the militants were regrouping to launch a new attack after his forces repelled one Thursday night. There was no immediate way to independently verify his claims.

The facility's production accounts for just over a quarter of the country's entire refining capacity. It goes strictly toward domestic consumption for gasoline as well as fuel for cooking and power stations.

 

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"We've said publicly, that whether (al-Maliki) is prime minister or any other leader aspires to lead the country, that there has to be an agenda in which Sunni, Shiite and Kurd all feel that they have the opportunity to advance their interest through the political process," Obama said Thursday.

 

Kinda like what Obummer does here?? This race baiting, lying hypocrite is a prime example of what spews out of his mouth, yeah right! His job is to pit people against each other and call people racist if they go against him. Despicable POS


 
Edited by sxsess
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 His job is to pit people against each other and call people racist if they go against him. Despicable POS

 

 

sxsess i am interested to know, when did obama call someone a racist for opposing his viewpoint?  do you have a point of reference for this statement?  just wondering.

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This is great news that the Shia religious authority in Iraq has pulled his support for Maliki, but all you want to do is bash Obama.  This is about the dinar isn't it?  I don't like the guy either, but he is spot on with not supporting Maliki and not sending in troops in mass which would look like we are siding with the Shia only.  Arent there plenty of government bashing websites out there you could use for this?  Can we keep this focused on the dinar please?

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Iraq's highest Shia cleric adds to pressure on Maliki over Isis insurgency
Ayatollah Sistani avoids criticising PM directly, but call for new and 'effective' government falls far short of resounding support

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Shia volunteers, who have joined the Iraqi army's fight against Isis-led militants, carry a portrait of Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani through Sadr city, Baghdad. Photograph: Reuters

Iraq's highest Shia authority, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has called for the quick formation of a new and "effective" government in a move that piles more pressure on the country's embattled leader, Nouri al-Maliki.

Although he avoided directly criticising the Iraqi prime minister, Sistani's call is far short of the resounding support Maliki needs to overcome rising unease at home over his leadership as well as rapidly shrinking international support.

Sistani also renewed a demand he made last week for his followers, who comprise the majority of Iraq's dominant Shia sect, to fight the jihadist group Isis and its insurgency that continues to ravage north and central Iraq.

"They must be fought and expelled from Iraq, [or] everyone will regret it tomorrow, when regret has no meaning," Sistani's spokesman announced during Friday prayers in Najaf.

After a disastrous response to the Isis push nine days ago, Iraqi troops are now holding ground in three battlefields, Baquba 60 miles north of Iraq, the vital Baiji oil refinery near Tikrit and the city of Tal Afar northwest of Mosul, where soldiers have re-entered part of the city taken by Isis on Tuesday.

However, the military remains unable to shift Isis from its strongholds or reverse the gains the group made during a stunning sweep through Mosul and Tikrit that continues to pose a grave threat to Iraq's borders.

American military advisers are understood to be en route to the country, as are marines sent to defend the US Embassy, along with Australian special forces deployed to perform the same role at their embassy. However, Barack Obama insisted that none would play a ground forces role. The US president also appears to be placing the condition on Iraqi demands to send air support that Maliki step aside first.

After elections eight weeks ago, Maliki has been trying to assemble a coalition government, which he would lead as a third-term prime minister. Though his bloc emerged with the largest number of seats in the 328-seat parliament, it is difficult to see from where he could muster the numbers he needs.

US officials visiting Baghdad this week have stressed the need to form a government urgently to avoid yet another power vacuum taking hold at a time when Iraq can least afford it.

In another sign that the state now has several powerful rivals to its authority, the Jeish al-Mehdi, the most feared arm of the Shia insurgency during the almost nine years the US occupied Iraq, will take to the streets of Baghdad, Basra, Najaf and Karbala on Saturday in a display of military might.

Shia irregulars are playing prominent roles in the fight against Isis. Though loosely aligned to the military, they have their own leadership structures and commanders. Many see the fight through the lens of their sectarian identity, with nationalistic considerations running second.

Isis has vowed to oust Iraq's Shia powerbase and to collapse the state's borders at it attempts to reimpose a hardline 7th-century Islamic caliphate on the lands of both Syria and Iraq. It has drawn support from former Ba'athists who were disempowered by the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 and have been trying to reorganise ever since.

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He's fired! 

(maliki, ursurper) Get a security minister that knows how to do his job. Here in the US we have a two party system here, a multicultural states but our armed services are fully competent folks doing their job no matter who is commander in chief. Even if commander in chief can't make the call. Our Majors/Generals can make it for commander in chief if deemed incompetent. In better words, "we get er done".............. Maliki has a different description in his dictionary on the word "tactical". It's not working for him. Duhh...he just don't get it.

Edited by uncirculd
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