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After Delay, Iraq Appoints Two to Posts for Security After Delay, Iraq Appoints Two to Posts for Security
(about 2 hours later)
BAGHDAD — After weeks of negotiations, Iraq’s Parliament approved on Saturday two appointees to lead the ministries responsible for the nation’s security forces, filling voids that highlighted the sectarian tensions that have split the government as the country struggles to mount an effective military response to the Islamic State. BAGHDAD — After weeks of negotiations, Iraq’s Parliament approved on Saturday two nominees to lead ministries responsible for the nation’s security forces, filling voids that highlighted sectarian tensions in the government as the country tries to mount an effective military response to the Islamic State.
For interior minister, a highly coveted post overseeing the nation’s police forces, lawmakers approved Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban, a Shiite member of the State of Law political bloc and a member of the Badr Organization, a Shiite party that controls a militia currently fighting alongside government security forces against jihadists of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had struggled to fill the powerful cabinet posts as he sought candidates with enough support to win approval but not so contentious as to undermine the tenuous unity government of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had been under extraordinary pressure from the Badr Organization to name one of its own to the seat because of the party’s strong showing in the recent parliamentary elections. The ministries — interior and defense — are particularly important because each controls an array of security forces fighting the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL. Many lawmakers, regardless of their misgivings about one candidate or the other, welcomed the vote as a matter of survival for the country.
Mr. Abadi had been reluctant to choose a Badr candidate because he feared that appointing someone closely associated with a militia would alienate Sunnis, whom he has been trying to draw more deeply into the government as part of his promise to preside over a more inclusive administration. The Badr Organization’s armed wing has been accused of torturing and killing Sunnis, especially at the peak of sectarian violence in the mid-2000s. “We have two names for two ministries and it’s not about their personalities,” Mithal al-Alusi, a Sunni lawmaker, said. “It’s about Iraq and about the situation we are in right now.”
Mr. Abadi won praise from Sunnis last month after resisting the candidacy of the Badr Organization’s chief, Hadi al-Ameri, though as recently as a few days ago, Mr. Ameri’s name was still circulating as a possible nominee. Mr. Abadi, a Shiite, has been under pressure to form a more representative government that can bridge the country’s divides and win the trust of Sunnis alienated by the highly sectarian policies of his predecessor, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. The advance of ISIS was enabled in part by disenchantment among Sunnis.
Badr officials, however, threatened to withdraw from the government if one of their members was not nominated for the post, officials said, and Mr. Abadi relented. For interior minister, a coveted post overseeing the nation’s police forces, the lawmakers approved Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban, a member of the Badr Organization, a Shiite political group that controls a militia fighting alongside government forces against the Islamic State.
The choice was opposed by some Sunni lawmakers who said Mr. Ghabban was simply a proxy for Mr. Ameri. The Badr Organization had been pressing Mr. Abadi to name one of its members to reflect the party’s strong showing in the recent parliamentary elections.
Mr. Abadi had been reluctant to pick a Badr candidate because he feared that appointing someone closely associated with a militia would jeopardize his plan for a more inclusive administration. The Badr Organization’s armed wing has been accused of torturing and killing Sunnis, especially during the sectarian violence of the mid-2000s.
Mr. Abadi had won praise from Sunnis for resisting the candidacy of the Badr Organization’s chief, Hadi al-Ameri. Badr officials, however, reportedly threatened to withdraw from the government if one of their members was not nominated for the post.
Mr. Ghabban, a longtime activist against Saddam Hussein, was detained in 1979 and later lived in exile in Iran. His candidacy was opposed by some Sunni lawmakers who said Mr. Ghabban was simply a proxy for Mr. Ameri.
In choosing nominees for his cabinet, Mr. Abadi has been somewhat constrained by Iraq’s sectarian power-sharing arrangements, which reserve the Interior Ministry for a Shiite and the Defense Ministry for a Sunni.In choosing nominees for his cabinet, Mr. Abadi has been somewhat constrained by Iraq’s sectarian power-sharing arrangements, which reserve the Interior Ministry for a Shiite and the Defense Ministry for a Sunni.
In the vote for defense minister, lawmakers approved Khalid al-Obeidi, a Sunni member of Parliament who represents Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, which has been under the control of the Islamic State since June. In the vote for defense minister, lawmakers approved Khalid al-Obeidi, a Sunni member of Parliament and an engineer in the Iraqi Air Force for 18 years. He represents Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, which has been under the control of the Islamic State since June.
The Iraqi Parliament also approved several other remaining cabinet posts, including women’s affairs minister, immigration and displacement minister and tourism minister. In addition, two Kurdish ministers swapped seats: Hoshyar Zebari became finance minister and Rowsch Nuri Shaways deputy prime minister. The voting went quickly without debate, and the candidates passed by wide margins.
It was the second attempt by Mr. Abadi to get confirmation of his nominees for the top security posts. On Sept. 16, he put forward Riyad Ghareeb, a Shiite member of Parliament, as interior minister, and Jaber al-Jabberi, a Sunni, as defense minister. Both nominees were rejected by Parliament, delivering Mr. Abadi an early setback in his effort to establish himself as a strong leader. In addition, six other ministers — five Kurds and a Shiite — were voted into the cabinet and two ministers swapped seats — Hoshyar Zebari, who became finance minister, and Rowsch Nuri Shaways, who was named a deputy prime minister. Kurdish lawmakers had lobbied for additional cabinet posts.
But on Saturday, the nominees passed easily, with Mr. Ghabban and Mr. Obeidi receiving clear majorities. Hamid al-Mutlak, a Sunni lawmaker from Anbar Province, said that while Mr. Ghabban was “not exactly what we want,” he voted for him all the same. “I voted yes for both of them because we are in need of these two ministers — not them specifically but in general we need ministers for these ministries,” he said.
It was the second attempt by Mr. Abadi to confirm nominees for the two security posts. On Sept. 16, he put forward Riyad Ghareeb, a Shiite lawmaker, as interior minister, and Jaber al-Jaberi, a Sunni, as defense minister. Both were rejected by Parliament, delivering Mr. Abadi an early setback.
Highlighting the delicacy of the security situation on Saturday, officials in Salahuddin Province said that fighting raged for the second straight day near the Baiji refinery in northern Iraq.