Iraq's Top Shiite Cleric Urges Peaceful Transition
08/02/20140
Civilians inspect the site of a car bombing in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Aug. 1, 2014.
Baghdad: Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric appealed to Iraqi politicians on Friday not to make themselves "an obstacle" in the country's transition as the deadline looms for selecting the next prime minister. The remarks by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, delivered by his spokesman, were another indirect appeal by the cleric to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to step down. "The big challenges facing Iraq require that the next government command national and broad acceptance ... to face the crises that are hitting the country," spokesman Ahmed al-Safi quoted the reclusive al-Sistani as saying. "No one should make himself an obstacle in achieving national consensus," al-Sifi added during the sermon in the southern Shiite city of Kabala. Al-Maliki, who has led the country since 2006, has insisted he remain in the post for a third four-year term. His bloc got the most seats in April's parliamentary elections but failed to get a majority, so he needs to build a coalition in order to govern.
The next government is expected to grapple with an unprecedented blitz offensive by Sunni extremists from the Islamic State group, which in June seized a large chunk of the country's north and west.
Iraq's leaders are under pressure to form an inclusive government that can draw Sunni support away from the insurgency. But the Sunnis have long accused al-Maliki of marginalising their community, and even many of his Shiite and Kurdish allies say he has monopolised power.
Iraq's newly-elected president, Fouad Massoum, is required to select a prime minister from the largest political bloc by next Friday.
Al-Sistani's appeal came as the United Nations said that more than 1,737 people were killed in Iraq in July, making it one of the deadliest months of the year but marking a decline from the previous month, when the Islamic State militants swept across much of the country. The death toll in June stood at 2,400.
Still, July's toll - which included an increase in killings in areas now under the control of the Islamic State - was considerably higher than May's, when about 800 people were killed.
Iraq's large, US-trained and equipped military melted away in the face of the initial militant onslaught, but has since regrouped - though it has not managed to retake lost ground.
In announcing the latest casualty figures, the UN mission also reiterated its own calls on Iraq' feuding politicians to set aside their differences and form an inclusive government.
"It is time that they move forward on the creation of a new government that can address the root causes of violence in Iraq and ensure equitable development for all communities," Nickolay Mladenov, the UN special representative for Iraq, said in the statement on Friday.
Militants with the Islamic State have also destroyed ancient shrines and mosques in Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, claiming they stray from hardline Islamic practices and instead promote apostasy.
Al-Sistani denounced the targeting of holy sites on Friday, saying Islamic State extremists are "alienating themselves from the humane, Islamic standards."
In Baghdad, a car bomb tore through a busy commercial street in the eastern Habibiya neighborhood, killing seven people and wounding 16. And in the nearby al-Khulani Square in central Baghdad, three bombs exploded almost simultaneously, killing four people and wounding 12, according to police and hospital officials. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.
Baghdad had the highest July death toll among all the provinces, the UN said, with at least 415 people killed. To the north, Ninevah and Salahuddin have seen heightened violence since militants seized parts of both provinces, including the provincial capitals of Mosul and Tikrit.
The UN estimates exclude the western Anbar province, most of which has also been held by militants for months.
In Haditha, a town in Anbar near a strategic dam, fighters with the Islamic State group launched a three-prong assault on Friday, using a suicide oil tanker and trucks, Lt. Gen. Rasheed Fleih, the commander of Anbar Operations Command, told The Associated Press.
The militants briefly took over an army command headquarters in the town, but the military was able to retake it, Fleih said. Ten soldiers were killed in the clashes.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
08/02/20140
Civilians inspect the site of a car bombing in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Aug. 1, 2014.
Baghdad: Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric appealed to Iraqi politicians on Friday not to make themselves "an obstacle" in the country's transition as the deadline looms for selecting the next prime minister. The remarks by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, delivered by his spokesman, were another indirect appeal by the cleric to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to step down. "The big challenges facing Iraq require that the next government command national and broad acceptance ... to face the crises that are hitting the country," spokesman Ahmed al-Safi quoted the reclusive al-Sistani as saying. "No one should make himself an obstacle in achieving national consensus," al-Sifi added during the sermon in the southern Shiite city of Kabala. Al-Maliki, who has led the country since 2006, has insisted he remain in the post for a third four-year term. His bloc got the most seats in April's parliamentary elections but failed to get a majority, so he needs to build a coalition in order to govern.
The next government is expected to grapple with an unprecedented blitz offensive by Sunni extremists from the Islamic State group, which in June seized a large chunk of the country's north and west.
Iraq's leaders are under pressure to form an inclusive government that can draw Sunni support away from the insurgency. But the Sunnis have long accused al-Maliki of marginalising their community, and even many of his Shiite and Kurdish allies say he has monopolised power.
Iraq's newly-elected president, Fouad Massoum, is required to select a prime minister from the largest political bloc by next Friday.
Al-Sistani's appeal came as the United Nations said that more than 1,737 people were killed in Iraq in July, making it one of the deadliest months of the year but marking a decline from the previous month, when the Islamic State militants swept across much of the country. The death toll in June stood at 2,400.
Still, July's toll - which included an increase in killings in areas now under the control of the Islamic State - was considerably higher than May's, when about 800 people were killed.
Iraq's large, US-trained and equipped military melted away in the face of the initial militant onslaught, but has since regrouped - though it has not managed to retake lost ground.
In announcing the latest casualty figures, the UN mission also reiterated its own calls on Iraq' feuding politicians to set aside their differences and form an inclusive government.
"It is time that they move forward on the creation of a new government that can address the root causes of violence in Iraq and ensure equitable development for all communities," Nickolay Mladenov, the UN special representative for Iraq, said in the statement on Friday.
Militants with the Islamic State have also destroyed ancient shrines and mosques in Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, claiming they stray from hardline Islamic practices and instead promote apostasy.
Al-Sistani denounced the targeting of holy sites on Friday, saying Islamic State extremists are "alienating themselves from the humane, Islamic standards."
In Baghdad, a car bomb tore through a busy commercial street in the eastern Habibiya neighborhood, killing seven people and wounding 16. And in the nearby al-Khulani Square in central Baghdad, three bombs exploded almost simultaneously, killing four people and wounding 12, according to police and hospital officials. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.
Baghdad had the highest July death toll among all the provinces, the UN said, with at least 415 people killed. To the north, Ninevah and Salahuddin have seen heightened violence since militants seized parts of both provinces, including the provincial capitals of Mosul and Tikrit.
The UN estimates exclude the western Anbar province, most of which has also been held by militants for months.
In Haditha, a town in Anbar near a strategic dam, fighters with the Islamic State group launched a three-prong assault on Friday, using a suicide oil tanker and trucks, Lt. Gen. Rasheed Fleih, the commander of Anbar Operations Command, told The Associated Press.
The militants briefly took over an army command headquarters in the town, but the military was able to retake it, Fleih said. Ten soldiers were killed in the clashes.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
» The new Deputy Governor of the Central Bank begins his duties
» Sarwa Abdel Wahed: The federal government sent 400 billion to the region, but the amount "disappeare
» KTFA Wed. Night CC "They Added More to the Whale Song" 3-22-2023
» Al-Sudani directs the allocation of funds for farmers within the agricultural plan
» Al-Sudani invites Turkish businessmen to settle their industrial and commercial activities in Al-Faw
» Al-Rafidain announces the establishment of a mechanism regarding the clearance of the employee who i
» Parliamentary Oil: The price of oil in the budget is high and puts the government in an awkward posi
» Advisor to the Prime Minister explains the reason for the high prices of commodities and foodstuffs
» Parliamentary Health reveals four laws expected to be passed to develop the sector
» Miserable performance and public frustration.. Al-Halbousi wasted the most embarrassing period in Ir
» A new plan to increase domestic production and export the surplus outside Iraq
» A deputy calls on Parliament to cancel all "Baathist" laws
» They are honest: do not compromise and compromise on the American presence in the country
» Parliamentary Finance: Efforts to include allocations for the general population census in the 2023
» Parliamentarian: The tripartite budget has not yet reached the parliament committees
» A parliamentary agreement to prevent foreign companies from supervising voter vote servers
» Parliamentary Finance sets the official date for the start of the marathon budget talks
» Al-Toki clarifies the essence of the dispute over the electoral law
» The continued rise in the exchange rate of the dollar...concern in the markets and exhaustion of the
» An economist explains the importance of the railway link between Faw and Ankara
» Central bank sales exceed $ 261 million
» The Ministry of Oil begins experimenting with electronic payment at fuel filling stations
» Agriculture launches the electronic card project
» Planning continues the implementation of the large Diwaniyah sewage project, and the completion rate
» The land fleet transports (34,554) tons of local wheat for the Ministry of Commerce
» Integrity seizes a network of 25 employees accused of wasting 23.3 billion Iraqi dinars
» Transportation proceeds to cover one of the important streets in the ports of Umm Qasr
» Activists launch a sit-in campaign in front of the House of Representatives, in rejection of St. Leg
» Al-Sadr prevents his aids from traveling outside Iraq!
» The House of Representatives reveals procedures to solve the problem of canceled contracts
» State of law reveals developments in the election law
» Deputy: Al-Sudani is determined to expel the PKK from Nineveh
» Al-Sudani's advisor: The cash leakage generated an illegal market that deals with usury and interest
» Al-Mandalawi: Iraq is keen on the strength of its regional and international relations
» Parliamentary Committee: Investment commissions are "tolerant" with investors
» Integrity recovers two trillion dinars over the past year
» Parliamentary Education: The salaries of the lecturers are insured
» Oriented to reduce energy waste and stress collection
» 5 regions in Baghdad within the service effort
» Al-Halbousi discusses the upcoming elections
» The President of the Republic: Iraq is implementing a strict water management plan
» Al-Sudani and Erdogan launch a global strategic project
» Iraq as Vice-Chairman of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical W
» Electricity adopts Chinese smart meters
» Nabil Jassim: The need to formulate a new discourse to regulate public broadcasting
» Al-Sudani: Iraqi-Turkish committees to secure fair water shares
» Parliamentary efforts to legislate the industrial investment law
» The Relief and Development Association launches the e-Donate platform
» Baghdad - Ankara
» Al-Muthanna Governorate tops the list of poverty in Iraq
» Education: Hundreds of schools await completion
» Calls for the development of new provinces in the country
» 77 bill stalled on the House table
» A qualitative leap for civil defense in 2023
» The central bank raises its sales to 213 million dollars
» Kufa Cement achieves a qualitative leap in production
» Claims to put a fixed item in the budget to face disasters and crises
» Justice comments on the amnesty law and clarifies its powers
» Decrease in oil prices.. Brent records 75.89 dollars per barrel
» Basra Gas reveals its future plans: We will stop 91% of the burning gas
» Central bank sales increased to more than 261 million dollars
» Former Iraqi Minister of Education: The 3-year budget is a smart move
» How Iraq's tripartite budget plan paves the way for a more stable economic and political future
» Iraq announces coordination with the countries of the region to confront climate change
» Al-Sadr directs eight prominent leaders not to travel within thirty days, and indicates that “import
» Justice comments on the amnesty law and clarifies its powers
» Iraq condemns the statements of the Israeli Minister of Finance regarding the Palestinian people
» The decline in the exchange rates of the dollar with the closure of the Baghdad Stock Exchange
» Adviser to the Ministry of Immigration participates in the closing conference on the Local Peace Agr
» A parliamentary split over the “age of the budget,” and a party objects to making it for three years
» Government measures related to the month of Ramadan, including reducing working hours
» The Independents are waving escalation against St. Lego's pass
» Chief of Integrity: Investigations of the theft of the century are ongoing and we are keen on their
» Government advisor: tangible improvement in the economy.. and directed to support investment
» The factions back down from "expelling the Turkish forces" in exchange for one month of water releas
» Parliamentary Education: The salaries of the lecturers are insured
» Tajikistan expresses its desire to open an embassy in Baghdad
» Deputy: Parliament has about 77 law proposals and is on the verge of enacting them
» Deputy: Passing the budget in Parliament requires consensus among all political parties
» On charges of corruption... a parliamentarian sets an "important" condition for holding Al-Kazemi an
» The President of the Republic: 40% of Iraq's lands are threatened by desertification due to the poli
» American newspaper: Kurdish parties are the biggest beneficiaries of the US invasion of Iraq
» What is the relationship of the "dry canal" with Turkey to the silk project?.. Al-Fatlawi answers
» The decree details the paragraphs of the budget...imaginary numbers in revenues and deficits
» Iraq accedes to Convention 102 on minimum standards for social security
» Parliamentary confirmations to make amendments to the budget related to the canceled contracts
» Al-Sudani: Iraq is serious today in expanding and developing aspects of cooperation with Turkey
» Iraq stresses the importance of activating the terms and paragraphs of the strategic partnership agr
» The Minister of Finance is discussing with a representative delegation the mechanisms of joint coord
» Chihoud: Al-Sudani's regional tours will put Iraq on the right track in improving and investing in i
» Economist: The Sudanese have moved away from the politics of arming with Turkey
» Oil: We aim to increase refining capacity through the implementation of a number of investment refin
» Al-Sudani reveals the details of his meeting with Turkish investors: This is about money transfers
» Iraq launches an appeal to the United Nations: We are facing the worst water crisis in our modern hi
» Electricity: The rise in Iranian gas releases to 25 million will contribute to the stability of proc
» The industry talks about a quantum leap in local cement production
» Iraq's ports are waiting for the largest floating book fair
» The Minister of Labor announces Iraq's accession to an agreement related to the social security stan