US Goals Adapt to New Iraq: security out of hands of religious,nationalist

[DeepModem Mom]

LAT: U.S. Goals Adapt to New Iraq
Disappointed with vote results, Washington is now focused on keeping security forces out of the hands of religious or nationalist parties.

By Paul Richter, Times Staff Writer


WASHINGTON — Disappointed by the election performance of Iraq's moderate parties, U.S. officials have established a more modest goal as Iraqi leaders divide power in a new government: preventing religious or nationalist parties from gaining a strong hold on the army and police.

American officials have made it a priority to persuade the winners in the election not to give top posts in the defense and interior ministries to anyone linked to armed groups such as the Shiite Muslim-controlled Badr and Al Mahdi militias, and the Kurds' peshmerga forces, U.S. and Iraqi officials say.

Washington fears that such ties could again alienate Sunni Muslims — many of whom are being drawn into the political process — sparking violence and slowing efforts to withdraw U.S. forces....

***

Yet even at an early stage of negotiations, it is clear that leaders in the winning coalition, many with close ties to militias, intend to fight hard for the posts. The party leaders believe they deserve the fruits of their election victory and also hold bitter memories of how former dictator Saddam Hussein treated Shiites and Kurds....

***

Though the United States was officially neutral in the election, some top officials hoped for a strong showing by moderate secular parties, such as the Iraqi National List of former interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. Yet Allawi's slate lost ground in the election, falling to 25 seats from 40 in the last transitional legislature. Meanwhile, the faction of Shiite militant leader Muqtada Sadr became a more important part of the United Iraqi Alliance, the large Shiite coalition that came up just shy of 50% in the new parliament....


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-usiraq21jan21,0,6810348.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[MindPilot]

1. Wow lookie there madge! Separation of church and state!!!

What a capital idea! We should try that here! :sarcasm: (in case you didn't notice)

[mom cat]

4. Good one.

[Kagemusha]

2. Good. luck.

This is not going to be an easy effort at all.

[joefree1]

3. "Priority to persuade the winners in the election"

They won the election so they get to screw up the country." Kinda like when the rethuglicans won.

American officials have made it a priority to persuade the winners in the election

[VegasWolf]

5. The only position that concerns Brain is Minister of Oil. nt

[leftchick]

6. Iraq poll result gives US new headache

http://smh.com.au/news/world/iraq-poll-result-gives-us-new-headache/2006/01/22/1137864806846.html

DISAPPOINTED by the election performance of Iraq's moderate parties, the US has settled on a more modest goal as Iraqi leaders divide power in a new government: preventing religious or nationalist parties from gaining a stronghold over the army and police.

Official election results released on Friday showed that an alliance of Shiite religious parties will be the largest bloc in Iraq's parliament but will have to negotiate with other factions to form a coalition government.

The Shiite coalition, the United Iraqi Alliance, won 128 seats in the 275-member parliament, more than twice as many as any other group, but 10 seats short of the minimum required to form a government.

<snip>

US officials are particularly uneasy about the influence of Mr Sadr, who controls the Mahdi Army - one of the largest militias. They are also concerned that militias with ties to Iran, including the Badr Corps, would have power over the country's military and police.

The fear is that such ties could alienate Sunni Arabs, sparking violence and slowing efforts to withdraw US forces.

[pinniped]

7. Too bad. Iraq is sovereign, democratic, whatever!

The US neo-idiots have zero right to bitch and moan about what they do with their country.

Sounds like meddling to me.

--US assholes are trying to persuade the poll winners not to give senior posts in the defence and interior ministries to politicians linked to armed Shiite Muslim groups or the Kurds' peshmerga fighters.--

[stray cat]

8. But Bush said democracy would would solve all the problems

Democratic countries are not aggressive according to Bush

[IndianaGreen]

9. We were better off with Saddam and the Baathists in power

but the neocons were greedy, they wanted the OIL, and now we will get no oil and Iraq is now a vassal state of Iran.

What's that saying about reaping what it has been sown?

[Straight Shooter]

10. Freedom is on the lurch.

Or whatever.