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KurdistanObserver.com
Unified Sunni Slate in the Elections -
Kurdish Alliance with Nationalists and Communists
Sep 28, 2005. Al-Mendhar
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The movement of alliances and divisions in the major
political blocs is at its climax in preparation for the elections' battle
expected at the end of this year. An alliance of Kurds with national, Shiite
and sectarian parties has been announced.
The Shiite Coalition slate seeks the inclusion of
Sunnis, Kurds and Christians, for the purpose of changing its sectarian
distinctive feature. On the other hand, Sunnis find it difficult to ally
with parties that participated in military operations against their regions. |
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In Baghdad, "the Alliance of National and democratic
Forces" has been announced. It consists of the Kurdistani National Party,
headed by the president Jalal Al Talebani, the Kurdistani democratic Party,
headed by Masud Barzani, the Arab Socialist Movement, headed by Abdel Ilah
Al Naserawi, Al Qasemi democratic gathering, the Democratic Alliance, the
National Democratic Party, and the Communist Party, headed by Hameed Majeed
Mousa, who has confirmed that this alliance would work on "attracting the
national democratic identities in preparation for a political coalition that
would participate in the coming elections." He said, "The religious and
national parties are now fully aware that Iraq can only be led on behalf of
seculars and those who led Iraq since the declaration of the republic in
1958, after the monarchy."
Meanwhile, the National Accord Movement, headed by Iyad Allawi, is preparing
for creating a bloc and holding the National Reconciliation conference, with
the participation of democratic parties.
Abdel Jaleel Mohsen, a prominent leader in the movement, said that it has
addressed invitations to "more than 250 national and patriotic identities
for creating a political bloc or expanding the Iraqi bloc, which would
reflect the Iraqi reality and maintain its unity away from quotas and
individual interests." He pointed out, "The main objective of these
preparations is to accomplish reconciliation among Iraqi classes so as to
confront violence."
It appears that the Kurdish leaders that participated in last January
elections under a national slate are working on containing Democratic and
Sectarian parties, so as to spread their influence all over Iraq. In
addition to their announcement of the "National and democratic Forces'
Alliance yesterday, several Kurdish identities do not rule out the creation
of pure Kurdish alliances and coalition with other forces, as it was the
case during the former elections, when the Kurdistani Alliance slate has
been created and had allied with the Coalition later.
The prominent Kurdish politician, Mahmoud Othman, announced that several
contacts are conducted on behalf of Kurdish forces with Shiite and Sunni
forces for the purpose of going into alliances that would enter the coming
elections. He continued, "The issue has been discussed in the Sunni-Kurdish
meetings in Erbil, for the purpose of settling the constitutional disputes.
Nevertheless, nothing is certain so far."
On their behalf, the Sunnis insist on entering the coming elections as one
slate, in addition to their desire in making alliances after the elections.
Hareth Al Obeidi, member of the National Conference for Sunnis, considered
that the Sunni parties are "incapable of making a coalition with other
political forces, especially those that participated in the government, as
the latter have led military operations in Sunni cities. They are also
incapable of making any Sunni alliance with any other political parties
before the elections."
Within the same context, new blocs are entering the political arena. They
announce that the unity of Iraq against division and sectarianism is the
objective and the aim. These include the Arab Unionists Movement, the Arab
Iraqis Movement, the Iraqi Clans Gathering, the National Forces Front and
the Iraqis Gathering. The spokesman for the latter, Farouk al Dulaimi, told
Al Hayat that the religious and national parties have controlled the
political reality in Iraq after the fall of the former regime. This is due
to the consequences of the occupation. It has diminished the secular and
democratic forces. Nevertheless, "At the end, what is right is right". He
added, "The establishment of a secure Iraq necessitates the construction of
blocs that guarantee harmony among "religions, races and sects against the
sectarian quotas, which has hurt the Iraqi structure. In addition, national
calls that adopt the unity of Iraqi lands, people and government should
emerge."
Al Hayat |
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