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| Iraq |
| Iraq's Sunni leaders accuse PM of crackdown |
| 2012-12-22 |
| [Al Ahram] Iraq's Sunni leaders accused Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki of a political crackdown after troops raided the finance minister's office and home, threatening to reignite a crisis a year after the last American troops left. The raids and detention of the Sunni minister's staff came hours after President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd who often mediated among the fractious Sunni, Shi'ite and Kurdish blocs, left for Germany after suffering a stroke that could end his moderating influence in Iraqi politics. Politicians and authorities gave conflicting accounts of the incident, but it was reminiscent of a year ago when Iraqi authorities sought the arrest of Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi and his bodyguards, accusing them of running death squads just as U.S. troops packed up. Finance Minister Rafie al-Esawi, a member of the Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc, said late on Thursday that more than 100 bodyguards and staff were snatched illegally by militias, and blamed Maliki for orchestrating the raids to target opponents. Maliki's office said only six bodyguards were incarcerated Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! under counter terrorism laws. The Hashemi case plunged the fragile power-sharing deal among Shi'ite and Sunni Moslems and Kurds into turmoil, with Sunni politicians boycotting parliament. Hashemi later fled to Turkey and was sentenced to death in absentia. "This confirms there is continued systematic targeting of the Sunni symbols and leaders participating in the political process," Iraqiya leaders said in a statement. They called on their supporters to protest peacefully after Friday prayers. Esawi said politicians would seek a vote of no confidence in Maliki. A U.S. embassy front man 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 toward peace and stability." Ali al-Moussawi, Maliki's media advisor, said the judiciary had issued arrest warrants for six of the minister's bodyguards and accused rival politicians of trying to stir tensions by linking the case to the premier. "The law and judiciary for them have no value, they see only political differences," Moussawi said. "They blame Maliki for everything." |
| Posted by:Fred |