Al-Sadr bloc talks of alliance with Sunnis, Christians

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/11/30/iraq.politics/

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- One day after suspending participation in Iraq's government, the bloc loyal to anti-U.S. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced a possible new political alliance with Sunnis and Christians.

Calling the group a "national front," the head of al-Sadr's bloc in Parliament -- Falah Hassan Shanshel -- said the groups would target the U.N. Security Council's decision to extend the mandate of the 160,000 multinational force in Iraq for another year.

The formation of such an alliance has been in the works for at least two months, said Saleh al-Mutlag, a prominent Sunni politician and vocal critic of al-Maliki.

He called the alliance a nonsectarian, national patriotic front, drawing from different areas of the country and also including secularists, Kurds, Yazidis, Turkmens and clerics.

[The Magistrate]

1. To Lightly Paraphrase An Old Song, Sir

"How can I betray you tomorrow, if we're not allies today?"

Those going into this will do so with straight faces, and ready knives.

[MrCoffee]

2. at least some one with some actual pull in Iraq is looking to take the reins...

flame me if you must (and i won't blame you a bit), but at this point, al-Sadr might be the last best chance an Iraqi government has.

maybe then the international community can do something about the sectarian violence if they have someone they can point the finger at.

but then, what the hell do i know?

[The Magistrate]

5. Mr. Al Sadr Is Certainly Looking To Take The Reins, Sir

He is a pretty good bet for the man to come out on top of the mess at the end. But his doing so will be the victory of one faction of the civil war. That will be, of course, a sort of end to it....

[robertpaulsen]

6. Sort of like Pol Pot's victory ending the Cambodian civil war?

Maybe the reich wingers are right when they say Iraq is not like Vietnam. Our geography might be off by one country.

[NNN0LHI]

3. A true Shiite and Sunni alliance could prove very problematic

That would be the end of Bush and his minions big dreams of staying in Iraq until the oil is removed.

Don

[The Magistrate]

4. That Dream Has Long Since Ended, Sir

Though indeed, there will certainly be no graceful exit....

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Uniting the Arab factions against the Christian invaders, eh?

No one could have foreseen this one coming.

[KoKo]

8. I didn't think there were any Christians left in Iraq...Saddam was okay with

them and I remember postings on DU before the "Invasion/Occupation" where there were posts from a Christian Minister talking about what his fears were about what was coming. There were many posts about the Christians in Iraq and it sort of died out when news was cut off after we Invaded.

I wonder what's left there for Sadr to talk to. :-(