Cleric Endorses Al-Jaafari PM Nomination (AP)

[cthrumatrix]

Cleric Endorses Al-Jaafari PM Nomination

14 minutes ago Middle East - AP


By ABDUL HUSSEIN AL-OBEIDI, Associated Press Writer

NAJAF, Iraq - United Iraqi Alliance candidate Ibrahim al-Jaafari said Friday that Iraq (news - web sites)'s most influential Shiite cleric has endorsed his nomination for prime minister.

The endorsement from Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani came after members of the clergy-backed alliance openly questioned its decision Tuesday to nominate the 58-year-old leader of the conservative Islamic Dawa Party as its candidate for prime minister following Iraq's Jan. 30 elections.


"Ayatollah al-Sistani blessed the decision taken by the alliance about the prime minister post. He respects and supports what the alliance have decided," al-Jaafari told reporters after meeting with the Iranian-born cleric for more than two hours in the southern Shiite holy city of Najaf.

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=2&u=/ap/20050225/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_politics

[David__77]

1. This is a slam against Allawi and company.

They don't want an out-and-out quisling in power.

[Igel]

2. Or maybe it's that old secular/sectarian divide.

Nah. Can't be that.

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. This is a pretty nice little tea party. Too bad the Sunnis don't seem

to be buying it. If the US ever leaves, pop, civil war, Sunni takeover.

[heidler1]

5. I can't help thinking that the Shiites have no balls except for

Muqtada al-Sadr. Because of this it looks like you are right about the Sunnis ending up sooner or later in control. This whole election looks like an exercise in futility. Bring our troops home now.

[yebrent]

4. This is big news. (recommended)

as-Sistani just closed the door on the PM decision. The thing to watch is how badly they snub Allawi and Chalabi with cabinet positions. It could be a good indicator of their long range strategy.

I have a feeling that we will hear a lot of talk like this:

"Ayatollah al-Sistani also advised to take into consideration the uniqueness of Iraqi issues making it impossible not to integrate other sects and to integrate the Sunni people who were not able to participate in the elections," al-Jaafari said.

But like the Bush administration mastered, their actions will be much different. They haven't even begun to play all their cards. Muqtada al-Sadr and Iran are waiting in the wings to be their bad cops if necessary.

[aneerkoinos]

6. Ding Ding Ding

Remember, al-Jaafari was against the Fallujah massacre, so in the eyes of the islamist Sunni resistance he's not all bad but someone able to cut a deal.

Next stage could be putting Badr corps and Mahdi army militias together to form the core of the Iraq army that is not dependent on the occupation forces but loyal only to the Shia leadership, and can militarily match the resistance forces, so the Sunni don't get any stupid ideas about back to good old times. This will take a while, but when the time is right, cut a deal for powersharing and new elections with the elements of resistance that are willing to play game (those loyal to Sunni clerics), and tell the yankee to get the hell out (with fatwa from Sistani, if needed) ...

Well, that's what I would do if I was Sistani/Jaafari...