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Iraq Shiite Leaders Hold Talks on Premier, as Support for Maliki Slips Iraq Shiite Leaders Hold Talks on Premier, as Support for Maliki Slips
(about 4 hours later)
BAGHDAD — Shiite political leaders began meeting Thursday to agree on whom to back for prime minister, with even some supporters of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki casting doubt on whether he could be chosen for a third term, according to senior Shiite officials. BAGHDAD — Shiite political leaders began meeting Thursday to seek agreement on whom to back for prime minister in a new government, with even some supporters of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki casting doubt on whether he could be chosen for a third term, according to senior Shiite officials.
The government announced Thursday that the Parliament would be convened on Monday, within the deadline set by the Iraqi Constitution, to the state television network, Iraqiya, reported. That set off an intense round of meetings among political factions in the hope of creating a consensus before Parliament convenes. Their consultations came against a backdrop of new mayhem from the Sunni-led insurgency that has upended the country and sharpened divisions over whether Mr. Maliki, leader the Shiite-dominated government for seven years, is capable of rescuing Iraq from its worst crisis since the American military left in 2011.
Western diplomats as well as the powerful Shiite clerics in the holy southern city of Najaf have urged Mr. Maliki’s interim government to move as quickly as possible to form a new government, encouraging Mr. Maliki to try to bring in Sunnis and Kurds to give the new government more credibility in its fight with Sunni extremists. But he has so far refused to make any of the concessions demanded by Sunnis and Kurds, arousing alarm even among other Shiite groups, who have reportedly tried to forge an alliance with Sunnis and Kurds to replace the prime minister. Government forces claimed a rare victory over extremists ensconced at a university in Tikrit, in the north, nine unidentified young men were found shot to death in a town south of Baghdad and a bomb killed at least eight in a Shiite neighborhood of the capital.
That has appeared difficult, however. Mr. Maliki’s State of Law party controls at least 92 seats in Parliament, with a variety of other parties having no more than 33 seats each. The majority needed to form a government is 165 seats of the 328 in Parliament. Iraqiya, the state television network, said Parliament would be convened on Monday, within the deadline set by the Iraqi Constitution. That set off an intense round of meetings among political factions in the hope of creating a consensus beforehand.
Now, however, at least three senior members of Mr. Maliki’s bloc have publicly expressed concern about Mr. Maliki’s viability. Western diplomats, as well as the powerful clerics of Iraq’s Shiite majority, have urged Mr. Maliki’s interim government to expedite a new government, encouraging Mr. Maliki to bring in Sunnis and Kurds to give it more credibility in its fight with Sunni extremists.
“It is too difficult to let Maliki keep his position,” said one, Abdul Karim al-Anzi, a former minister of national security and a prominent Shiite lawmaker. “The situation is very complicated because Sunnis and Kurds have serious problems with a Maliki third term.” But he has so far refused to make any concessions demanded by Sunnis and Kurds, arousing alarm even among other Shiite groups. Some have tried to forge an alliance with Sunnis and Kurds to replace the prime minister.
Two other State of Law members, longtime supporters of Mr. Maliki, also expressed reservations about keeping him for another term, but were unwilling to be quoted by name because of the political sensitivities of the discussions. That has appeared difficult. Mr. Maliki’s State of Law party controls at least 92 of Parliament’s 328 seats, with a variety of other parties having no more than 33 each. A 165-seat majority is needed to form a government.
The results of the April 30 election were certified by Iraq’s highest court on June 17, and the Constitution requires Parliament to convene within 15 days, so Monday is the latest day possible for it to do so. The Parliament first selects a speaker, and then proceeds to elect a president, vice presidents and a prime minister in a process that may take months, judging by previous elections. Now, however, at least two members of Mr. Maliki’s State of Law bloc have publicly expressed concern about Mr. Maliki’s viability for a third term.
“It will be very difficult for Maliki to keep his position,” said Abdul Karim al-Anzi, a former minister of national security and a prominent Shiite lawmaker in the State of Law coalition. “The situation is very complicated and the talks are still far away from reaching a solution. The prime minister keeps saying he has the biggest bloc, but the others are not satisfied to see him keeping his position. Kurds asking to replace him as well as Sunnis. The Sunnis and Kurds will have serious objections to him.”
Hussein al-Muraibi, a leader of the Fadhila party, part of Mr. Maliki’s bloc, said there was no way to recruit Sunnis to a new government without replacing Mr. Maliki. “We want to change Maliki as a good-will gesture,” he said, stressing that he was expressing his opinion. “The battle is partially political, and the enemies are using Maliki and what he did as a pretext to mobilize people inside and outside Iraq against the Shiites and the political process.”
Four other leading Shiite politicians — two within Mr. Maliki’s bloc and two in allied parties — also expressed reservations about keeping Mr. Maliki for a third term, but were unwilling to be quoted by name because of the political sensitivities of the discussions.
The results of the April 30 election were certified by Iraq’s highest court on June 17, and the Constitution requires Parliament to convene within 15 days, so Tuesday, July 1, would be the latest. The Parliament first selects a speaker, and then elects a president, vice presidents and a prime minister in a process that may take months, judging by previous elections.
Many political leaders and diplomats have expressed hope that the government formation could move more quickly than in the past, given the threat to the country from Islamic militants who have advanced to within less than 50 miles of the capital since overrunning the northern city of Mosul on June 10.Many political leaders and diplomats have expressed hope that the government formation could move more quickly than in the past, given the threat to the country from Islamic militants who have advanced to within less than 50 miles of the capital since overrunning the northern city of Mosul on June 10.
Once the date for Parliament was confirmed, the Shiite National Alliance, which includes Mr. Maliki’s party as well as other Shiite parties, began meeting in an effort to agree on who would fill the top positions, including prime minister. Once the date for Parliament was confirmed, the Shiite National Alliance, which includes Mr. Maliki’s party as well as other Shiite parties, began meeting in an effort to agree on who would fill the top positions, including prime minister, to present it on Monday in the hope of quickly forming a government.
“It is a very dangerous period and no one knows what’s going to happen,” said Nabil Salim, a political scientist from Baghdad University. “It has to be a package deal, and it all depends on what happens today in the Shia bloc meeting, if they are going to choose Mr. Maliki or somebody else.” But the leading Sunni grouping, the Muttahidoon coalition, issued a statement Thursday raising questions about whether it would even attend Parliament if the Shiite National Alliance had not decided on a prime minister, apparently meaning a replacement for Mr. Maliki, whom Muttahidoon has opposed.
Mr. Maliki has already served two terms as prime minister of a Shia-dominated government, and many Sunnis in particular want to see a constitutional change to limit future prime ministers to two terms. Sunnis also want a guarantee of one of the top security ministries, either defense or police, and release of prisoners who have been held without charges or even, in many cases, after their acquittals. “The participation of the coalition’s members of Parliament in the activities of the first session depends on whether the National Alliance can agree on a candidate for the prime minister’s position,” the Muttahidoon statement said.
Kurds for their part are seeking concessions allowing them to export and sell oil found in Kurdish areas, without permission from the national Oil Ministry. Nabil Salim, a political scientist from Baghdad University, said: “It is a very dangerous period and no one knows what’s going to happen. It has to be a package deal, and it all depends on what happens today in the Shia bloc meeting, if they are going to choose Mr. Maliki or somebody else.”
So far Mr. Maliki has proved unwilling to make any concessions to Sunnis and Kurds that would bring them into the government. Many Sunnis in particular want to see a constitutional change to limit future prime ministers to two terms. Sunnis also want a guarantee of one of the top security ministries, either defense or police, and the release of prisoners who have been held without charges or even, in many cases, after their acquittals.
Kurds are seeking concessions allowing them to export and sell oil found in Kurdish areas, without central government permission.
So far Mr. Maliki has proved unwilling to make any concessions satisfactory to Sunnis and Kurds.
“There is no way to make any deal with Sunnis and Kurds without getting rid of Maliki,” said one prominent Shiite politician. “We are talking with him but he is not accepting to make any deals because he keeps saying: ‘I am the owner of the biggest number of seats. Bring me someone who has what I got and I will step down.’ ”“There is no way to make any deal with Sunnis and Kurds without getting rid of Maliki,” said one prominent Shiite politician. “We are talking with him but he is not accepting to make any deals because he keeps saying: ‘I am the owner of the biggest number of seats. Bring me someone who has what I got and I will step down.’ ”
The urgency of the discussions underway was underscored with a report Thursday that the bodies of nine young men were found in Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, a community that experienced severe bouts of sectarian bloodletting by Shiites and Sunnis in 2006. All nine had been shot multiple times, according to an official in the Ministry of Information, speaking on the condition of anonymity as a matter of government policy. Mahmoud Othman, a longtime Kurdish politician who did not run for Parliament in the recent elections, was pessimistic about the possibility of a deal to replace Mr. Maliki, and warned that the Parliament might end up stalemated despite the insurgency threat. “That would be a disaster,” he said. “The blocs, they don’t care about the country, they care only for themselves.”
Mr. Maliki, in an interview with the BBC, said Syrian jets had carried out airstrikes against Sunni militants near Qaim, on the Syrian border, on Tuesday, the first official confirmation from the Iraqi government of the strikes. But Mr. Maliki, in an interview with the network’s Arabic service, said the attacks had been on the Syrian side of the border, not in Iraq. The urgency of the discussions was underscored with a report Thursday about the nine young men found dead, in Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, a community that suffered severe sectarian bloodletting by Shiites and Sunnis in 2006. All had been shot multiple times and dumped under a highway bridge, according to an official in the Ministry of Information, speaking on the condition of anonymity as a matter of government policy. Within hours, the official said, a hidden bomb exploded in the Kadhimiya neighborhood, a Shiite enclave near an important religious shrine, killing eight people and wounding 25.
“Yes, Syrian jets did strike al Qaim area inside the Syrian side of the border,” Mr. Maliki said, according to a BBC interpreter. “There was no coordination involved but we welcome this action. We actually welcome any Syrian strike against ISIS because this group targets both Iraq and Syria.” Human rights and United Nations officials have expressed concern about apparently sectarian killings in and around Baghdad, which while still relatively small in number have been increasing. The incident in Mahmudiya is the largest execution-style killing seen in the capital area recently.
He said the Iraqi government had not requested the Syrian airstrikes. “They carry out their strikes and we carry out ours, and the final winners are our two countries,” he said in the interview, which was posted on the BBC website. In northern Salhuddin Province, the Iraqi Army scored an apparent success against militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, striking well behind the lines of the militants’ advance and recapturing the grounds of Salhuddin University in Tikrit city. According to police officials and eyewitnesses in Tikrit, Iraqi warplanes first bombed ISIS positions on the university campus, and then Iraqi army paratroopers were dropped in to take control of it. While ISIS occupies most of Tikrit city, the Iraqi military controls a large air base, Camp Speicher, on the outskirts. Iraqi military officials said “tens” of militants had been killed and their commander wounded, although he escaped.
Mr. Maliki, in an interview with the BBC’s Arabic service, said Syrian jets had carried out airstrikes against Sunni militants near Qaim, on the Syrian border, on Tuesday, the first official confirmation from the Iraqi government of the strikes. But Mr. Maliki said the attacks had been on the Syrian side of the border, not in Iraq, contradicting numerous other unverified accounts.
In Paris, Secretary of State John Kerry met on Thursday with counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, all deeply suspicious of Mr. Maliki, whom they fear is too close to Iran.
American officials are hoping that neighboring Arab states will use their influence with Sunni politicians in Iraq to expedite a multisect government.
They also want the Arab states to crack down on funding for ISIS from wealthy individuals who oppose Mr. Maliki and President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.