Reuters: UPDATE 2-Iraqi president stroke fuels succession talk

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/19/iraq-president-idUSL5E8NJ2AE20121219 Wed Dec 19, 2012 6:03am EST * Talabani played mediator role among Iraqi factions * Sunnis may present own candidate for president * Sunnis feel marginalised since Saddam's fall By Patrick Markey BAGHDAD, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was responding to treatment on Wednesday after suffering a stroke that raised fears of a messy succession battle to replace the Kurd leader who has mediated among Iraq's competing factions. "He is showing clear signs of improvement," Najmaldin Karim, the governor of Iraq's Kirkuk city who is also a doctor, told Reuters. The 79-year-old former guerrilla, who has helped ease tensions among Shi'ites, Sunnis, and Kurds and in the growing dispute over oil between Baghdad and the country's autonomous Kurdistan, was admitted to hospital on Monday night. He was in intensive care with a specialist team including doctors from Germany, where he received treatment in the past. Under Iraq's constitution, parliament elects a new president if his post becomes vacant. Iraq's power-sharing deal calls for the presidency to go to a Kurd while two vice president posts are shared by a Sunni and a Shi'ite. Talabani survived wars, exile and infighting in northern Iraq to become the country's first Kurdish president a few years after the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. He has since been pivotal in navigating through the political turmoil in Iraq's fragile power-sharing government that is split amoung Shi'ite Muslims, Sunni Muslims and ethnic Kurds who also run their own autonomous enclave in the north. "He is the Kurd who is closest to the centre. He is so close to the Shi'ites and to the Sunnis," said Iraqi political analyst Ibrahim al-Sumaidaie. "He is a very important regional player in creating balance." But in an early sign that any future succession will likely be messy, senior Sunni political leaders suggested they may present their own candidate for the presidency in a challenge to the Kurds. "Some Sunni leaders will sprint to try to get this post," a Sunni leader in the Iraqiya block said. "But anyone with any sense knows in the end they won't get it." SUNNIS FEEL MARGINALISED Since the fall of Saddam Hussein and rise of the Shi'ite majority to power through the ballot box, many Iraqi Sunnis feel they have been marginalised, especially under the government of Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Among Kurds, political analysts said former Kurdistan prime minister Barham Salih is favoured. But Talabani's exit could also prompt an internal struggle in Iraqi Kurdistan, where Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party and rival Kurdistan Democratic Party share power. Iraqi law would see one of the vice presidents take over Talabani's duties before the parliamentary vote. But Iraq's Sunni Vice President, Tareq al-Hashemi, is a fugitive outside of the country after he fled to escape charges he ran death squads. The other vice president is from Maliki's alliance. Any parliament vote would also be complex, with Maliki locked in a struggle with Sunni, Kurdish and some Shi'ite rivals over power-sharing. Talabani was crucial in helping Maliki survive a no-confidence motion directed against him this year. Talabani also recently helped ease a military stand-off between Maliki's central government and the autonomous Kurdistan president, Masoud Barzani, in their long-running dispute over oil-field rights and internal boundaries. But that situation remains sensitive after both regions sent troops to reinforce positions. Underscoring tensions, Kurdish forces opened fire on an Iraqi army helicopter on Tuesday, saying it was spying on their military positions. =================================== Sunni protests flare after Iraqi minister's staff held Fri, Dec 21 10:42 AM EST By Patrick Markey and Raheem Salman BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Sunni leaders in Iraq accused Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of a crackdown on Friday after troops detained a Sunni minister's bodyguards, setting off protests in one province and threatening to reignite a political crisis. The incident came hours after President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd who has mediated among Sunni, Shi'ite and Kurdish factions, left for Germany after suffering a stroke that may end his steadying influence over politics. Talabani's absence and political tension has renewed pressure on Iraq's fragile power-sharing government, which is split among sects and ethnic Kurds and has stumbled from crisis to crisis since U.S. soldiers withdrew in December 2011. Maliki has often managed to play his rivals off against one another and strengthen his alliances in the complex political landscape before provincial elections next year and a parliamentary vote in 2014. Several thousand demonstrators took to the streets in the Sunni stronghold of Anbar after prayers, blocking a highway in Falluja to demand Maliki's resignation and waving banners reading: "Resistance is still in our veins". Sunni leaders warned they might withdraw from government and called for a vote of no confidence in Maliki, whom they accuse of abusing his power to sideline election rivals. "My message to the prime minister is that you are a man who does not believe in partnership and does not respect the law and the constitution," Finance Minister Rafaie Esawi said. Politicians and the authorities gave conflicting accounts of the incident, but it evoked an episode a year ago when Iraq moved to arrest Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, accusing him of running death squads just as U.S. troops left. Maliki, who forged his political career in exile and resistance to Saddam Hussein, called for calm, urging opponents not to color a judicial decision with politics. "Let Sunni and Shi'ite know that the execution of judicial orders against some accused does not mean the targeting of a certain sect," Maliki said. "We call on all to stop any statement or voice compromising the unity of the country." Esawi said more than 100 bodyguards and staff had been snatched illegally, and blamed Maliki. The prime minister's office said only 10 bodyguards had been arrested and that the warrants had been issued under counter-terrorism laws. A U.S. embassy spokesman said: "Any actions from any party that subverts the rule of law or provokes ethnic or sectarian tension risks undermining the significant progress Iraq has made." HASHEMI PART 2? A year ago, the Hashemi case plunged Iraq's delicate power-sharing deal into turmoil, with Sunnis boycotting parliament and cabinet in protest at what they said was a political witch-hunt against Sunni opponents. Hashemi accused the government of torturing his bodyguards and fled only to be sentenced to death in absentia. Violence in Iraq is down sharply from the days of intercommunal slaughter that erupted soon after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Sunni dictator Saddam. But sectarianism still runs deep in Iraqi politics. With the political system and much lawmaking paralyzed by infighting among the factions, Maliki has said he may try to form a majority government with some Sunni leaders and end the power-sharing deal. "You cannot outright dismiss electioneering," said Ramzy Mardini at the Iraqi Institute for Strategic Studies in Beirut. "If Maliki can't co-opt Sunnis to form a majority governing coalition, he's going to make sure the Shi'ites are consolidated behind him." TALABANI'S INFLUENCE Talabani, 79, a former militant who was admitted to hospital on Monday, had often mediated among Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds, as well as in the growing dispute over oil between Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdistan region. He was in a stable condition in a Berlin hospital and was responding well to treatment, his office said on Friday. Foes of Maliki, an ally of Iran, tried earlier this year to organize a vote of no confidence in him. It failed when Talabani did not back it and due to splits among Maliki's rivals. The Kurdish leader had also helped ease tensions between Maliki and the northern Kurdistan region, after both sent troops from their respective armies to face off along territories dotted with oilfields where both claim rights. While most politicians are publicly wishing Talabani a speedy recovery, behind the scenes, some senior Sunni political leaders have suggested they may present their own candidate for the presidency in a challenge to the Kurds. Under the constitution, parliament elects a new president and a vice president takes over in the interim. The power-sharing deal calls for the presidency to go to a Kurd while two vice presidential posts are shared by a Sunni and a Shi'ite. Among Kurds, former Kurdistan Prime Minister Barham Salih is favored as a leader with ties across Iraq's sectarian divide. But there could also be a struggle within Iraqi Kurdistan, where Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party shares power with the Kurdistan Democratic Party. (Additional reporting by Aseel Kami and Suadad al-Salhy; Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Janet Lawrence) ==================== Uprooting Iraq’s Maliki: mission impossible By Abdulrahman Al-Rashed Sunday, 06 January 2013 When Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was asked about demonstrations staged against him in Baghdad last year, he replied that it was Iraq that started the Arab Spring. This reminds us of Bashar al-Assad’s statement to the Wall Street Journal a few weeks after the Syrian revolution had started and in which he claimed he was not concerned about the protests because Syria constitutes the resistance front against Israel. The Arab Spring did not start in Iraq nor is Syria a resistance front. Even if any of those two statements is right, this is not what matters. What matters is what people in both countries believe. Alienation and power grab Maliki’s position is unmatched by any president or king, possibly across the globe, for he has authority over all key ministries and entities like security, intelligence, armed forces, finance, the central back, the media, the judiciary, and “de-baathification.” Abdulrahman AlRashed Maliki’s only concern is staying in power, but he is facing several challenges, one of which is the fact that this is his second and last term in office. He tried to modify the constitution so that he can get a third term but failed. He might not even stay till the end of this term. That is why he is now trying to look for other ways out like dissolving the parliament before it votes against him and holding early elections. Today, Sunday, could be the beginning of the first battle. Maliki, who failed to secure enough votes in the elections, came to power as part of a coalition where Shiites and Sunni Kurds voted for him. Those alliances have, however, changed and he is now willing to ally with his enemies whether Shiite Sadrists or the Sunni Arabs, the latter already demonstrating against him especially following the accusations he leveled at another Sunni leader, Finance Minister Rafea al-Eissawi. Maliki had alienated almost all Sunni leaders and is on the verge of a confrontation with the Kurds in the north, apparently for a reason related to Iran’s wish to open a way to Syria in order to rescue Assad’s besieged regime. Maliki marginalized Shiite leaders like Ibrahim al-Jaafari, who had more right to the premiership and did the same with a sensible politician like Adel Abdul Mahdi. He is getting closer to Iran and willing to do anything it demands in order to stay in power. ‘De-baathification’ It is important to note that Maliki’s position is unmatched by any president or king, possibly across the globe, for he has authority over all key ministries and entities like security, intelligence, armed forces, finance, the central back, the media, the judiciary, and “de-baathification.” Meanwhile, he is trying to seize control of the authority in charge of combating corruption and the list goes on. When the deputy prime minister said in an interview with the CNN that Maliki is a dictator, he was immediately dismissed. When Maliki had fell out with Vice President Tarek al-Hashimi, he accused him of terrorism and conspiracy and jailed his personal guards. It will be very hard to uproot Maliki from his position whether by constitutional means, that is through the parliament, or by demonstrations and civil disobedience. Iraqis are at the beginning of another bumpy road that would bring to square one when Saddam Hussein was in power and when the United States paid a trillion dollars and 4,000 of its soldiers to get rid of him and his legacy. Maliki will be out after he destroys Iraq like what Assad is doing to Syria. *This article first appeared in Asharq AlAwsat on Jan. 6, 2013. Link: http://www.aawsat.com/leader.asp?section=3&article=711834&issueno=12458 (Abdulrahman AlRashed is the General Manager of Al Arabiya News Channel. A veteran and internationally acclaimed journalist, he is a former editor-in-chief of the London-based leading Arab daily Asharq Al- Awsat where he still regularly writes a political column. He has also served as the editor of Asharq Al-Awsat’s sister publication, Al Majalla. Throughout his career, AlRashed has interviewed several world-leaders whilst his articles provoked worldwide recognition and has successfully led Al Arabiya to the highly-regarded, thriving and influential position it is in today.) =================== Islamists pursue own agenda in Iraq's Sunni protests Sun, Jan 06 02:01 AM EST By Suadad al-Salhy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Street protests in Iraq's Sunni Muslim heartland pose a new challenge to Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as shock waves from the Sunni-led insurgency in nearby Syria strain his country's fragile political balance. Over the past two weeks, tens of thousands of Sunnis have staged demonstrations, and in Anbar province they have blocked a highway to Syria in a show of anger against Maliki, whom they accuse of marginalizing their community and monopolizing power. The discontent is real, but the protests are driven by Sunni Islamist parties bent on carving out an autonomous region akin to the Kurdish one in the north, Kurdish and Sunni sources say. They say the Sunni Islamists scent an opportunity to escape what they see as Shi'ite domination, counting on a victory by Sunni rebels trying to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose Alawite minority has its roots in Shi'ite Islam. Assad's eventual demise would weaken the sway of Shi'ite Iran, Syria's main regional ally and an influential player in Iraqi politics. Sunni states such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey have backed the Syrian leader's adversaries. Heartened by a possible shift in the Sunni-Shi'ite balance of power in the Middle East, Iraq's Sunnis are giving vent to the frustrations they have endured since the U.S.-led invasion overthrew Saddam Hussein and empowered majority Shi'ites. Some waving Saddam-era Iraqi flags, protesters have echoed the chants of Arab uprisings that have brought down leaders in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen in the past two years.

"We will never relent. Enough of Sunnis living in Iraq like outsiders. This time it's do or die for us," said Jamal Adham, a tribal leader from Saddam's former hometown of Tikrit.

Their demands, fuelled by sectarian sentiment, range from mending crumbling public services to abolishing anti-terrorism laws they say are used to persecute Iraq's once-dominant Sunnis.

"What's happening is not spontaneous," said Mohammed Tofiq, spokesman for Kurdish opposition movement Gorran. "The forces behind the current protests are Sunni political parties."

Senior Sunni sources say the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP), part of the Muslim Brotherhood, is the prime mover in a campaign to create an autonomous Sunni fiefdom, by force if need be. "Sunnism is our slogan and a region is our goal," senior cleric Sheikh Taha Hamed al-Dulaimi told demonstrators in Anbar in a video on his website. "Do not scatter your demands." The IIP exerts influence through mosques and clerics in Sunni strongholds such as Anbar province, which was almost completely controlled by al Qaeda at the height of Iraq's insurgency in 2005-07 and shares a porous border with Syria. Militants linked to al Qaeda appear to be regrouping in the caves and valleys of Anbar, and some are crossing the border to join Syrian rebels fighting to topple Assad's police state. The tribes of Anbar were instrumental in subduing al Qaeda in 2007, making common cause with U.S. troops to fight fellow Sunnis in what came to be known as the "Anbar Awakening". Now, Anbar is awakening again, but this time the target is Maliki - and U.S. forces who once held the ring are long gone. "Anbar has always had the power to be very influential in Iraqi politics," said Gareth Stansfield, an Iraq expert at Exeter University. "This should be of great concern to Maliki." SUNNI BUBBLE The protests ignited after Maliki detained the bodyguards of Sunni Finance Minister Rafaie al-Esawi last month, just hours after Iraq's Kurdish President Jalal Talabani, seen as a steadying hand, suffered a stroke and went abroad for treatment. Iraqi authorities said the bodyguards had confessed to involvement in assassinations carried out in coordination with security men employed by Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi. Hashemi fled into exile a year ago and was later sentenced to death in absentia for terrorism. Esawi himself was once a leader of an armed Islamist group, Hamas al-Iraq, in Anbar. The arrests and alleged confessions of bodyguards of the two senior Sunni leaders followed a strikingly similar pattern, but this time round, Maliki is more isolated, analysts say. One Shi'ite lawmaker said Maliki had planned to target Esawi for some time and had calculated that it would be easier to strike now and contain the Sunni backlash than to do it later when Sunnis might be emboldened by events in Syria. "Maliki told me he would go after Esawi and his bodyguards more than a month ago," said the parliamentarian on condition of anonymity. "He preferred to burst the Sunni bubble, rather than wait for it to blow up in his face". So far, Maliki's response has been cautious. This week he said his patience was wearing thin and warned he would not tolerate the Sunni rallies indefinitely, but made a small concession by releasing 11 women detainees and allowing others to complete their sentences in their home provinces. That will not appease all the protesters. The provincial council of the predominantly Sunni Salahuddin governorate on Thursday re-submitted a request to the electoral commission to form their own region. Other Sunni-majority provinces have previously presented similar demands. Under the constitution drawn up after the U.S.-led invasion, each province or group of provinces is entitled to create a federal region if it wins enough votes in a referendum. "This is the moment when we see whether Maliki has emerged as the strongman of Iraq," Stansfield said. "Either he enforces a centralized government on Iraq or allows federalism to be the organizing principle of governance across the country. "The question is whether it's done after fighting or instead of fighting." The central government in Baghdad is already at odds with the Kurdish region. Their long-running feud over land and oil rights recently escalated into a military build-up in the oil-rich territory along their contested internal boundary. The Kurds and other rivals of Maliki are likely to use the Sunni protests to pile pressure on the Shi'ite leader without necessarily jumping on board, analysts and politicians say. Both Kurdish President Masoud Barzani and influential Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have voiced support for the protesters in Anbar and elsewhere, as long as they drop sectarian slogans and stop glorifying Saddam's Baath party. Sunnis are united against Maliki, but many are wary of hardliners who they fear might revive the kind of inter-communal conflict that previously drove Iraq to the brink of civil war. Sheikh Hameed Turki al-Shook, a senior Sunni tribesman in Anbar, said: "The demand to create the regions is not ours and those working to spread these ideas do not represent us." (Additional reporting by Raheem Salman, Ahmed Rasheed and Aseel Kami in Baghdad, Isabel Coles in Arbil and Kamal Naama in Ramadi; Writing by Isabel Coles; Editing by Alistair Lyon) ================== Iraq shuts Jordan border crossing over Sunni protests Wednesday, January 09, 2013 3:41:39 PM BAGHDAD: Iraq closed a border crossing with Jordan on Wednesday after Sunni Muslim demonstrators blocked a highway to Syria and Jordan as part of mass protests challenging Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's delicate power-sharing government. Baghdad ordered troops to shut the Traibil border post in the Sunni heartland province of Anbar, where protests erupted in late December after authorities arrested the bodyguards of a Sunni finance minister, local officials said. "Our work has halted completely," Colonel Mahmoud Mohammed Ali, deputy chief of border police at the crossing told Reuters by telephone. "There are no trucks, no passenger cars, and officials at the gate are not working." Local Sunni officials in Anbar said the central government had closed the crossing to choke the local economy in an attempt to put pressure on protesters who have blocked a main highway through the desert province for more than two weeks. Thousands of demonstrators are camped out on the highway near the Sunni stronghold of Ramadi, about 100 km (60 miles) west of Baghdad, before the point at which it splits, with one road leading to Syria and another to Jordan. The protests have become a major test for Maliki, a Shi'ite nationalist whom many Sunni leaders accuse of marginalizing their minority sect, shoring up his own authority and pushing the OPEC country closer to Shi'ite non-Arab power Iran. The latest turmoil erupted as conflict in Syria, where Sunni insurgents are battling President Bashar al-Assad who is backed by Shi'ite Iran, fuels regional sectarian tensions and tests Iraq's own fragile cross-communal and ethnic balance. Since the last American troops left Iraq a year ago, the government made up of majority Shi'ite, Sunni and ethnic Kurdish blocs has been deadlocked in a crisis over how to share power. – AGENCIES ================ تيار الصدر: المالكي ينفذ أجندة بايدن لتقسيم العراق وندعوه لتعيين عزة الدوري مستشارا له Sadrist accuses PM of executing Biden plan to divide# Iraq in to 3 states الكاتب: TT المحرر: NK ,RS 2013/01/09 17:42 المدى برس/ كربلاء اتهم نائب عن كتلة الأحرار، اليوم الأربعاء، رئيس الحكومة نوري المالكي بتنفيذ "أجندة أميركية" ترمي إلى "تقسيم العراق لثلاث دويلات"، وفيما وصف المالكي بأنه "رأس صناع الأزمات في السلطة"، دعاه إلى "استثناء عزة الدوري من قانون المساءلة وجعله مستشارا له". وقال النائب عن الكتلة، جواد الحسناوي، في بيان صحافي تلقت (المدى برس) نسخة منه أن "رئيس الوزراء نوري المالكي ينفذ أجندة نائب الرئيس الأميركي جوزيف بايدن لتقسيم العراق إلى ثلاث دويلات". وكان نائب الرئيس الأميركي جو بايدن، طرح مشروعاً، في نهاية العام 2007، عندما كان لا يزال سيناتوراً في الكونغرس، لتقسيم العراق إلى ثلاثة أجزاء شيعية، سنة وكردية، ووافق عليه الكونغرس على أساس أنه "مشروع غير ملزم". وأضاف الحسناوي إن "صناع الأزمات موجودون في السلطة وعلى رأسهم المالكي، للتغطية على الفساد المالي والإداري في الحكومة"، عادا أن "رئيس الوزراء هو الصانع والمبدع الأول للأزمات في البلاد". ودعا الحسناوي في بيانه المالكي إلى "استثناء عزة الدوري من إجراءات هيئة المساءلة والعدالة والمحاكم وجعله مستشاراً له كالمستشارين البعثيين الموجودين في القيادات العسكرية"، مبيناً أن "حجم الاستثناءات التي يقوم بها المالكي اكثر من حجم الاجتثاث المتعلق بقرارات المساءلة والعدالة". وكان عزة الدوري نائب رئيس النظام العراقي السابق صدام حسين هاجم، في الرابع من كانون الثاني 2013، في خطاب متلفز، رئيس الحكومة العراقية الحالية نوري المالكي واتهمه بتنفيذ "مشروع صفوي" لتقسيم البلاد إلى دويلات، وأكد أنه يدعم التظاهرات التي تشهدها محافظات الأنبار وصلاح الدين ونينوى ضد حكومة المالكي، كاشفا أنه موجود في محافظة بابل وسط العراق. واتهم التيار الصدري، أمس الثلاثاء، ائتلاف دولة القانون بـ"الاعتداء" على إحدى نائباته، فيما أكد أنه افتعل قضية النائب عن العراقية احمد العلواني لعرقلة مناقشة تحديد ولاية رئيس الوزراء وتقرير اللجنة الخاصة بشأن صفقة الأسلحة الروسية في جلسة البرلمان ليوم امس. ويأتي الاشتباك بالأيدي بين نواب من دولة القانون بعد نحو 24 ساعة على بيان صدر عن المكتب الخاص للزعيم الشيعي مقتدى الصدر، أمس الاثنين السابع من كانون الثاني 2013، اعرب فيه عن استغرابه من رفض حزب الدعوة الذي يتزعمه نوري المالكي زيارة النجف بدعوة من الصدر لبحث مطالب المتظاهرين احتجاجا على حضور كتلة الأحرار الجلسة الاستثنائية التي دعا إليه رئيس البرلمان، فيما أكد أن حضور كتلة الأحرار الجلسة يتوافق مع ما كان قد صرح به المالكي بأن تلبية المطالب من صلاحيات البرلمان. وتعد المشادة بين التيار الصدري ودولة القانون هي الثانية منذ شباط 2011، أذ وقعت مشادة كلامية تخللها سب وشتم بين القيادي في التيار الصدري بهاء الأعرجي والقيادي في ائتلاف دولة القانون علي الشلاه بعد تصويت البرلمان على الموازنة العامة المالية للعام 2011. وعقد مجلس النواب العراقي، أول أمس الأحد السادس من كانون الثاني 2013، جلسته تشاورية، لعدم اكتمال النصاب للجلسة الاستثنائية التي دعا إليها رئيس البرلمان أسامة النجيفي لمناقشة إلغاء قانوني المساءلة والعدالة ومكافحة الإرهاب ومطالب المتظاهرين، بسبب مقاطعة التحالف الوطني باستثناء التيار الصدري لعدم استنكار القائمة العراقية تصريحات نائب الرئيس السابق عزة الدوري وتصريحات العلواني تجاه "المكون الاكبر"، في حين حضرها زعيم القائمة العراقية إياد علاوي في محاولة لإكمال النصاب لتحويلها إلى جلسة استثنائية. واعلن رئيس مجلس النواب العراقي أسامة النجيفي، أن الجلسة التشاورية أوصت بـ"عدم رفع شعارات طائفية" في التظاهرات و"عدم الاستجابة لأي أوامر بقمعها"، وفي حين أكد على ضرورة الاستجابة لمطالب المتظاهرين، أشار إلى أن البرلمان سيشكل لجنة لزيارتهم. يذكر أن رئاسة مجلس النواب العراقي قررت، في الـ26 من كانون الاول 2012، تأجيل الجلسة الثالثة من الفصل التشريعي الثاني الى اليوم الثلاثاء، (الثامن من شهر كانون الثاني 2013)، فيما عزت القرار الى تزامن موعد الجلسة مع أعياد الميلاد و زيارة أربعينية الإمام الحسين. ==================== Sadr: Maliki executing Biden agenda to divide Iraq and call for the appointment of Izzat al-Duri his advisor Author: TT Editor: NK, RS 2013/01/09 17:42 Long-Presse / Karbala Accused deputy Liberal bloc, on Wednesday, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to the implementation agenda "American" designed to "divide Iraq for three states," With Maliki described as "head-makers crises in power", invited him to "exception Izzat al-Duri of law, accountability and make it an adviser him. " The MP said the bloc, Jawad al-Hasnawi, in a press statement received (range Presse) a copy of it that "Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki implemented Agenda Vice President Joseph Biden to divide Iraq into three mini-states." The U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, put a project, at the end of the year 2007, when he was still a senator in Congress, to divide Iraq into three parts Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish, and approved by Congress on the grounds that "a non-binding draft." Hasnawi added that "crises makers are in power, led by al-Maliki, to cover up financial and administrative corruption in the government," returned to "The prime minister is the first manufacturer and creator of the crises in the country." He called Hasnawi in his Maliki to "exception Izzat al-Duri from the proceedings of the accountability and justice, the courts and make it his advisor Kalmstharian Baathists who are in the military leadership," noting that "the size of exceptions by the Maliki more than the size of ablation on the decisions of the accountability and justice." The Izzat al-Duri vice president of the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein attacked, on the fourth of January 2013, in a televised speech, Iraqi Prime Minister current Nouri al-Maliki, accusing him of carrying out "project Safavi" to divide the country into small, and stressed that he supports the demonstrations taking place in the provinces of Anbar and Salahuddin Nineveh and against the Maliki government, revealing that he is in the province of Babylon in central Iraq. He accused the Sadrist movement, on Tuesday, a coalition of state law to "assault" on one Naúbath, as he emphasized that he fabricated the case Iraqi MP Ahmed al-Alwani to block discussion of the mandate of the Prime Minister and Special Committee's report on the arms deal the Russian parliament session to yesterday. The clash came hands between deputies of the rule of law after nearly 24 hours on a statement issued by the Special Bureau of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, on Monday the seventh of January 2013, in which he expressed surprise at the rejection of the Dawa Party, led by Nuri al-Maliki's visit Najaf at the invitation of al-Sadr to discuss demands demonstrators protest against the presence of the Liberal bloc special meeting called by the President of the Parliament, as he emphasized that the presence of the Liberal bloc meeting in line with what he had told Maliki that meet the demands of the powers of parliament. The quarrel between the Sadrists and the rule of law is the second since February 2011, it signed an altercation during which insults and swearing between the leader of the Sadrist movement Bahaa al-Araji, and leader of the coalition of state law on Alfalh after the parliamentary vote on the financial budget for the year 2011. The Council of Representatives of Iraq, the first Sunday the sixth of January 2013, its consultative, for lack of a quorum of Emergency Session called by the parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi to discuss the abolition of legal accountability, justice and the fight against terrorism and demands of the demonstrators, because Province National Alliance except the Sadrist movement for not denouncing the Iraqi List former vice president's remarks Izzat al-Duri and statements Alwani toward "the biggest component," while attended by the leader of the Iraqi List, Iyad Allawi, in an attempt to complete the quorum to be converted into a special session. The president of the Iraqi Council of Representatives Osama Najafi, that the meeting consultative recommended "not to raise slogans sectarian" in the demonstrations and "not to respond to any orders to suppress", while stressing the need to respond to the demands of the demonstrators, he noted that the parliament will form a committee to visit them. It is noteworthy that the presidency of the Iraqi Parliament decided, in the 26 December 2012, to postpone the third session of the second legislative term to Tuesday, (the eighth month of January 2013), with Ezzat decision to synchronize the hearing with Birthdays and visit the death of Imam Hussein . ================