| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| Iraq Eases Curb on Ex-Officials of Baath Party |
| 2008-01-13 |
| The Iraqi Parliament passed a bill on Saturday to allow some former officials from Saddam Hussein’s party to apply for government positions, in the first of the so-called political benchmark measures to pass after months of American pressure for progress. The measure, which is expected to be approved to become law by the presidential council, was described by its backers as opening the door for the reinstatement of thousands of low-level Baath Party members barred from office after the 2003 American invasion. The Bush administration had urged the Iraqi government to pass such a measure to help mend the deep rifts between Sunni Arabs who used to control the government under Mr. Hussein and the Shiites who now dominate politics here. It was unclear on Saturday how far the legislation would go toward soothing Sunni Arabs, Many Sunni Arabs have strongly denounced the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki for shutting them out. In the hours after the vote, serious disagreements emerged about how much the law would do, and some political leaders said it would actually force many former Baathists out of current government jobs and into retirement. President Bush, traveling in Kuwait and Bahrain on Saturday, praised the vote, calling it “an important step toward reconciliation.” And he said that to consolidate progress in the country in the past year, he was prepared to slow or even halt further American troop reductions in Iraq beyond those planned through the summer, setting the stage for renewed political debate over the war. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 I understand Bush was advised "Find a nice sunny general, one smart enough to remember what happened to Saddam, and make him new Rais (headman)---these People are uncapable of self-rule." by both Sharon and the Soody king. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2008-01-13 18:20 |
| #2 It's front-page WaPo. BAGHDAD, Jan. 12 -- The Iraqi parliament passed a bill Saturday intended to make it easier for former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party to return to government jobs and collect their pensions, a significant achievement for the divided legislature on an issue still regarded with raw emotion by many Iraqis. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2008-01-13 07:45 |
| #1 The New York Times Summary: A bit of good news, but it probably won't amount to much, and Bush will use it to further interfere in the Iraaqi civil war. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2008-01-13 07:41 |