Iraqi premier faces revolt within party

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Last updated July 31, 2007 2:47 a.m. PT

Iraqi premier faces revolt within party

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

BAGHDAD -- Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki faces a revolt
within his party by factions that want him out as Iraqi
leader, according to officials in his office and the
political party he leads.

Ibrahim al-Jaafari, al-Maliki's predecessor, leads the
challenge and already has approached leaders of the
country's two main Kurdish parties, parliament's two
Sunni Arab blocs and lawmakers loyal to powerful Shiite
cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Al-Jaafari's campaign, the officials said, was based on
his concerns that al-Maliki's policies had led Iraq into
turmoil because the prime minister was doing too little
to promote national reconciliation.

The former prime minister also has approached Grand
Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's top Shiite cleric,
proposing a "national salvation" government to replace
the al-Maliki coalition. The Iranian-born al-Sistani
refused to endorse the proposal, the officials said.

-snip-

Read more: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107AP_Iraq_Al_Jaafari.html

[xchrom]

1. interesting.

does al jaafari have more ability in the street than al maliki to end the fractionalization?

it seems to me that chaos has become a hall mark and i'm not sure there is real willingness to stop it yet.

[Disturbed]

2. In Sept . Malaki will probably get a no confidence vote from

the Parliament. The Iraqi Govt. System is sort of like the UK's. He can be kicked out without an Impeachment Trial. Too bad the US doesn't have a Parliamentary Govt.

[acmavm]

3. He gets kicked out of power he'd better use his passport

and get the hell out of there. Otherwise he's probably a dead man.

On another note: I don't know how Chalabi has survived this long.

[saigon68]

4. Chalabi protected by CIA

Also lives in the Green Zone when he's not in Cannes (Getting his ashes hauled)

[Eugene]

5. Iraqi President Tries to Save Government

Source: Associated Press

Iraqi President Tries to Save Government

By HAMZA HENDAWI
The Associated Press
Tuesday, July 31, 2007; 1:46 PM

BAGHDAD -- Iraq's Kurdish president was fighting Thursday
to save the Shiite-dominated government from possible
collapse, wheedling key Sunni Arab politicians to set aside
threats to quit the Cabinet and counseling the prime minister
to "seriously consider" their demands.

President Jalal Talabani also warned of "negative consequences"
if the six Cabinet ministers from the Iraqi Accordance Front
leave Nouri al-Maliki's 14-month-old government.

He did not elaborate, but the withdrawal of the Accordance
Front's ministers could erase the government's "national unity"
status and diminish its legitimacy _ a serious blow at a time
when it needs to move swiftly on legislation the United States
considers critical to the reconciliation of Iraq's Shiite, Sunni
Arab and Kurdish factions.

-snip-

Talabani has said the demands were "mostly fair," acknowledged
there were government failures but criticized the Front for
publicizing its rift with al-Maliki.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/31/AR2007073100987.html