El líder espiritual de los chiíes de Irak, el gran ayatolá Ali Husein al Sistani, exhortó el viernes a los políticos a consensuar cuanto antes un nuevo Gobierno para poner fin a la brecha sectaria que amenaza con sumir al país en una nueva guerra. Sus palabras llegan en un momento en que varios partidos calibran cómo impedir un tercer mandato de Nuri al Maliki, a quien culpan de ahondar las divisiones políticas. La víspera, EE UU vinculó su ayuda contra los insurgentes suníes a que se forme un Ejecutivo incluyente, algo que los opositores interpretan como un apoyo al relevo del primer ministro.
“Es necesario entablar un diálogo entre los bloques ganadores [de las elecciones del pasado abril] para que se forme un Gobierno que obtenga la aprobación nacional”, manifestó Al Sistani en un mensaje leído por su portavoz, Ahmed al Saafi, durante la plegaria del viernes en Kerbala. El dignatario chií también pidió que el nuevo Ejecutivo sea “eficaz” y “evite los errores del pasado”, una poco velada crítica a la gestión de Al Maliki.
La inusual intervención del ayatolá, la segunda en otros tantos viernes, pone de relieve su inquietud por la crisis que ha abierto la ofensiva del Estado Islámico en Irak y el Levante (EIIL) en el noroeste de país. Aunque el primer ministro obtuvo el mayor número de escaños en las legislativas, está teniendo dificultades para encontrar respaldos para un nuevo mandato. Existe el temor de que intente utilizar la operación militar contra los rebeldes para retrasar la constitución del Parlamento, que marca los plazos legales para formar Gobierno.
Al Maliki, en el poder desde 2006, se había convertido en una figura controvertida antes incluso de la ofensiva yihadista. La Coalición Nacional, la alianza de partidos chiíes que respaldó su segundo ejercicio en 2010, advirtió a principios de mes que no era seguro que fueran a votarle de nuevo. Ahora, la forma en que ha afrontado la toma de Mosul por los insurgentes, ha logrado unir en su contra a suníes, chiíes y kurdos.
“El mayor peligro para este país ahora mismo es la polarización política. Los partidos de oposición, tanto chiíes como suníes y kurdos, están dispuestos a utilizar la situación de seguridad para evitar que Al Maliki acceda a un tercer mandato, aunque sea a costa del apoyo a los grupos armados”, señala Omran al Obaidy, jefe de Opinión del diario Al Itihad.
“Ha habido reuniones entre Iyad Allawi, [el líder kurdo] Masud Barzani y los saderistas”, confirma Qays al Shadhr, diputado de Al Wataniya, como se ha rebautizado en las últimas elecciones la formación que dirige el ex primer ministro Allawi y que cuenta con las simpatías de buena parte de la comunidad árabe suní. El diputado asegura que “no se ha entrado en nombres”, pero señala que “el elegido tiene que tener la confianza de todas las comunidades, lo que excluye a quienes han fallado en su deber”.
Otros políticos son más tajantes. “Al Maliki tiene que salir”, opina Amir al Kenani, diputado de Al Ahrar, el partido de los seguidores del clérigo chií Múqtada al Sáder. También un asesor de Osama al Nuyaifi, presidente del Parlamento saliente y destacado líder suní, ha declarado que “hay que sustituir a ese hombre si queremos que las cosas se calmen”. Portavoces kurdos también se han manifestado en ese sentido.
Además, tanto los rivales políticos del primer ministro como los observadores han interpretado que la respuesta de Estados Unidos a la petición de ayuda de Al Maliki respalda su relevo. La declaración de Barack Obama el jueves no fue el salvavidas que el Gobierno iraquí esperaba. En vez de garantizarle el bombardeo inmediato de las posiciones rebeldes, el presidente norteamericano insistió en la necesidad de una figura unificadora.
“La mayoría de los iraquíes nos sentimos decepcionados", afirma Ali al Fayad, diputado del partido Estado de la Ley, quien recuerda que Irak firmó un acuerdo de cooperación estratégica con Washington. “Si los iraquíes llegan a la conclusión de que carece de valor, tendrán que buscar otras ayudas para protegerse”, añade.
El diario The New York Times aseguraba en su edición del viernes que, desde días antes de la comparecencia de Obama, políticos iraquíes están manteniendo reuniones con funcionarios estadounidenses en busca de una personalidad de consenso. Incluso menciona tres nombres que se están barajando: Adel Abdulmahdi, Ahmed Chalabi y Bayan Jaber.
Al Shadhr recuerda no obstante que Estado de la Ley, partido de Al Maliki, obtuvo 93 escaños en el Parlamento. “Eso no se puede dejar de lado en el proceso político”, apunta, “pero el nuevo Gobierno tiene que estar presidido por alguien en quien puedan confiar todas las comunidades, incluida la gente [suní] de Nínive, Saladino o Al Anbar”.
Por eso una de las alternativas era que ese grupo participara en la elección de un candidato de la Coalición Nacional que fuera aceptable para el resto de las formaciones. Al parecer, Al Maliki ya ha rechazado esa opción. Así que ahora sus rivales intentan formar un bloque alternativo que reúna a Al Ahrar, Al Wataniya, Al Muttahidun (la formación suní de Al Nujayfi) y los kurdos. “Excluir al Estado de la Ley sería muy costoso porque supondría la división de los chiíes”, admite Al Kenani quien, además, teme que el primer ministro pudiera utilizar la fuerza. “Quiere mantenerse en el poder”, asegura.
Al Obaidy, el periodista de Al Itihad, está de acuerdo. Describe a Al Maliki como “un hombre de fuertes convicciones, que tras los comicios cree que tiene derecho a gobernar”. Al final, se muestra convencido de que la continuidad o no del primer ministro depende “tanto del éxito de su contraofensiva contra los insurgentes suníes, como de la voluntad de Irán y Estados Unidos”.
Fuente/Source: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2014/06/20/actualidad/1403...
The most senior Shiite religious leader in Iraq has called for the formation of an “effective government” to foster national unity and criticised "past mistakes" made by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's administration, in a departure from previous support for the embattled Iraqi leader.
“The winning coalitions [of April’s elections] must engage in discussions to form a new effective government that has broad national support, avoiding past mistakes and opening new horizons toward a better future for all Iraqis,” Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's spokesperson said on his behalf during a sermon on Friday.
The comments have been viewed as thinly veiled criticism of Prime Minister Maliki, who has been accused of alienating and marginalising the country’s Sunni community. Sistani also called for politicians to observe time limits placed on the formation of a new government.
“The Supreme Court has verified the elections and there are constitutional time limits for holding the first session of parliament,” he said. “It is very important to observe these time limits and not break them.”
Now elections have been approved by the Supreme Court legislators must hold a parliamentary session to elect a speaker, with the second session to be held within a month. In the past forming a government has been a lengthy and complex process in Iraq, as in 2010 when it took 14 weeks for elections to be approved. Then, as now, negotiations to form a coalition were challenging and politicians have previously sought to buy time by keeping the first session open so they do not have to form a government within a month, as stipulated by the constitution.
On Friday Sistani also sought to clarify a call to arms he issued last week, interpreted by some as being communicated exclusively to the Shiite community, by saying it has been misunderstood.
Sistani's clarifications
“Our call last Friday was for all Iraqi citizens, not for a particular sect,” he said. “Our call to volunteer was to join the Iraqi Security Forces, not to form militias outside the law, we state that arms must only be in the hands of the government.”
“There was no sectarian angle to our call for defending the country and volunteering,” he added.
Iraq has been plunged into crisis after Sunni militias took control of cities across the country, including the second largest city Mosul, with some fearing the outbreak of an openly sectarian conflict. Concern has rapidly grown about the role being played by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), who have been credited with playing a key role in the Mosul seizure and are known for their brutal treatment of civilians and Shiites who they view as heretics deserving of the death sentence.
Sistani warned of the danger facing Iraq by ISIL, saying if they are not routed then the country’s future could be dire.
“This Takfiri group is a catastrophe for our country, which is why our call is for all Iraqis to rise up against them,” he said, adding “if they are not stopped today then all Iraqis will regret what will happen tomorrow”.
Many in the Shiite community have mobilised to protect their religious sites, which have been threatened with destruction by ISIL. Sistani confirmed these concerns on Friday, saying “they [ISIL] stated clearly they will target other provinces like Najaf and Karbala and will target all shrines they can reach”.
Some say Sistani could play a key role in uniting the country and avoid what many fear could descend into an openly sectarian conflict.
“Sistani has a lot of weight in Iraq, I would say he is the most powerful man in Iraq by a distance," said Sajad Jiyad, director of policy at the London-based Iraqi Centre for Integration and Cohesion. "It is within his power to get everyone to unite," he added.
Silence on corruption
Others disagree, saying the Shiite leader is not trusted among the Sunni community due to a perceived partisan line.
“The Shiite say Sistani is the most powerful in Iraq because they want to give the authority to one of their religious figures," said Fareed Sabri, former spokesperson for the Iraqi Islamic Party 2006-08. "He has the power to say something but for the past ten years he has said nothing to build trust with the Sunni community."
"All we have heard is silence and support for the corrupt government of Nouri al-Maliki," he added.
British-Iraqi Jiyad contests that Sistani is committed to an inclusive Iraq, pointing to his comments on Friday as a sign he is a unifier.
"“Sistani’s biggest concern is to keep Iraq together, avoiding loss of life and helping Iraqis enjoy a peaceful existence," he said."This speech had a lot of meaning to it, he said all Iraqis need to respond to the call for defending the nation. He is critical, he isn’t supportive of any particular politician because they are Shiite or for any other reason.”
“Sistani has no time for this kind of partisan thinking," he added.
Former politician Sabri takes a different tack, however, saying Sistani's failure to speak out against oppression of the Sunni community has left him with few friends.
“For the past ten years people have been begging him to speak about the human rights abuses and the killing of civilians," he said. "For example, in the past two or three days the security forces have been executing all the prisoners and civilians they hold in their prisons, as in Diyala where they have murdered about 100 people."
“We challenge him to say something about the executions in the prisons.”
Sunni-Shiite divisions
Divisions between Sunni and Shiite communities are deeply driven, with some describing the recent bout of violence as the eruption of a "Sunni uprising". The influential cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi signed a statement on Thursday calling on regional countries to stand by Sunnis revolting against Maliki's sectarian Baghdad government.
Some analysts, however, point to Sistani as a leader who has a track record of calming violent situations.
“I completely disagree with the belief that he [Sistani] cannot unite Iraq," said Hayder al-Khoei, associate fellow at the think-tank Chatham House. "Even during the darkest days of the sectarian and civil war in 2006, and even after al-Qaeda linked militants blew up the shrine in Samarra, Sistani was constantly calling for calm," he added.
Painting the current crisis as an uprising could impact on how it progesses, according to Khoei.
“It’s too simple to paint this as Sunni mistrust of the Shiite, because you have several high profile Sunni clerics who have now come out very strongly and denounced ISIL as a threat for all Iraqis," he said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean the Sunni religious scholars support the Iraqi government, obviously many of them don’t, but there can be no doubt that they view ISIL as a terrorist threat.”
“If this is seen as a terrorist problem then you can fight it as a state and as a country, if the Shiites believe this is a Sunni uprising it will have a knock-on effect on how they view the crisis," he added.
The battle for Iraq's land and future is raging on, with Sunni militia fighting government forces in the oil refinery town of Baiji and around the Tal Afar airport in the north. How it will play out is as yet unclear, but what is for certain is that it will take an almighty effort to reconcile the deeply driven divisions that rack this troubled nation.
- See more at: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraq-shiite-leader-calls-new-governmen...
“The winning coalitions [of April’s elections] must engage in discussions to form a new effective government that has broad national support, avoiding past mistakes and opening new horizons toward a better future for all Iraqis,” Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's spokesperson said on his behalf during a sermon on Friday.
The comments have been viewed as thinly veiled criticism of Prime Minister Maliki, who has been accused of alienating and marginalising the country’s Sunni community. Sistani also called for politicians to observe time limits placed on the formation of a new government.
“The Supreme Court has verified the elections and there are constitutional time limits for holding the first session of parliament,” he said. “It is very important to observe these time limits and not break them.”
Now elections have been approved by the Supreme Court legislators must hold a parliamentary session to elect a speaker, with the second session to be held within a month. In the past forming a government has been a lengthy and complex process in Iraq, as in 2010 when it took 14 weeks for elections to be approved. Then, as now, negotiations to form a coalition were challenging and politicians have previously sought to buy time by keeping the first session open so they do not have to form a government within a month, as stipulated by the constitution.
On Friday Sistani also sought to clarify a call to arms he issued last week, interpreted by some as being communicated exclusively to the Shiite community, by saying it has been misunderstood.
Sistani's clarifications
“Our call last Friday was for all Iraqi citizens, not for a particular sect,” he said. “Our call to volunteer was to join the Iraqi Security Forces, not to form militias outside the law, we state that arms must only be in the hands of the government.”
“There was no sectarian angle to our call for defending the country and volunteering,” he added.
Iraq has been plunged into crisis after Sunni militias took control of cities across the country, including the second largest city Mosul, with some fearing the outbreak of an openly sectarian conflict. Concern has rapidly grown about the role being played by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), who have been credited with playing a key role in the Mosul seizure and are known for their brutal treatment of civilians and Shiites who they view as heretics deserving of the death sentence.
Sistani warned of the danger facing Iraq by ISIL, saying if they are not routed then the country’s future could be dire.
“This Takfiri group is a catastrophe for our country, which is why our call is for all Iraqis to rise up against them,” he said, adding “if they are not stopped today then all Iraqis will regret what will happen tomorrow”.
Many in the Shiite community have mobilised to protect their religious sites, which have been threatened with destruction by ISIL. Sistani confirmed these concerns on Friday, saying “they [ISIL] stated clearly they will target other provinces like Najaf and Karbala and will target all shrines they can reach”.
Some say Sistani could play a key role in uniting the country and avoid what many fear could descend into an openly sectarian conflict.
“Sistani has a lot of weight in Iraq, I would say he is the most powerful man in Iraq by a distance," said Sajad Jiyad, director of policy at the London-based Iraqi Centre for Integration and Cohesion. "It is within his power to get everyone to unite," he added.
Silence on corruption
Others disagree, saying the Shiite leader is not trusted among the Sunni community due to a perceived partisan line.
“The Shiite say Sistani is the most powerful in Iraq because they want to give the authority to one of their religious figures," said Fareed Sabri, former spokesperson for the Iraqi Islamic Party 2006-08. "He has the power to say something but for the past ten years he has said nothing to build trust with the Sunni community."
"All we have heard is silence and support for the corrupt government of Nouri al-Maliki," he added.
British-Iraqi Jiyad contests that Sistani is committed to an inclusive Iraq, pointing to his comments on Friday as a sign he is a unifier.
"“Sistani’s biggest concern is to keep Iraq together, avoiding loss of life and helping Iraqis enjoy a peaceful existence," he said."This speech had a lot of meaning to it, he said all Iraqis need to respond to the call for defending the nation. He is critical, he isn’t supportive of any particular politician because they are Shiite or for any other reason.”
“Sistani has no time for this kind of partisan thinking," he added.
Former politician Sabri takes a different tack, however, saying Sistani's failure to speak out against oppression of the Sunni community has left him with few friends.
“For the past ten years people have been begging him to speak about the human rights abuses and the killing of civilians," he said. "For example, in the past two or three days the security forces have been executing all the prisoners and civilians they hold in their prisons, as in Diyala where they have murdered about 100 people."
“We challenge him to say something about the executions in the prisons.”
Sunni-Shiite divisions
Divisions between Sunni and Shiite communities are deeply driven, with some describing the recent bout of violence as the eruption of a "Sunni uprising". The influential cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi signed a statement on Thursday calling on regional countries to stand by Sunnis revolting against Maliki's sectarian Baghdad government.
Some analysts, however, point to Sistani as a leader who has a track record of calming violent situations.
“I completely disagree with the belief that he [Sistani] cannot unite Iraq," said Hayder al-Khoei, associate fellow at the think-tank Chatham House. "Even during the darkest days of the sectarian and civil war in 2006, and even after al-Qaeda linked militants blew up the shrine in Samarra, Sistani was constantly calling for calm," he added.
Painting the current crisis as an uprising could impact on how it progesses, according to Khoei.
“It’s too simple to paint this as Sunni mistrust of the Shiite, because you have several high profile Sunni clerics who have now come out very strongly and denounced ISIL as a threat for all Iraqis," he said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean the Sunni religious scholars support the Iraqi government, obviously many of them don’t, but there can be no doubt that they view ISIL as a terrorist threat.”
“If this is seen as a terrorist problem then you can fight it as a state and as a country, if the Shiites believe this is a Sunni uprising it will have a knock-on effect on how they view the crisis," he added.
The battle for Iraq's land and future is raging on, with Sunni militia fighting government forces in the oil refinery town of Baiji and around the Tal Afar airport in the north. How it will play out is as yet unclear, but what is for certain is that it will take an almighty effort to reconcile the deeply driven divisions that rack this troubled nation.
- See more at: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraq-shiite-leader-calls-new-governmen...
