Allawi says militias worsening Iraq's plight

[ECH1969]

AMMAN, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Deepening communal divisions are driving Iraq towards a catastrophe, and parties in the government should disband their militias, former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said on Monday.

"We see an extensive programme of dismantling state institutions ... These are ingredients for catastrophe."

"We see militias are prevailing now, we see sectarian allocations in various government offices are the order rather than exception. They are also being introduced in the security apparatus," the secular Shi'ite politician said.

Secular-minded Iraqis, many Shi'ites among them, see Allawi as a barrier to any attempt to impose Islamic rule on the country or align it more closely with clerically ruled Iran.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L26277715.htm

[Tempest]

1. Funny how Allawi didn't foresee this

While he was working at the Pentagon during the beginning of the war.

Allawi is ineligible to run for president in Iraq because his mother is Lebanese. According to the proposed constitution, only Iraqis of pure blood are able to run for president.

[enigma000]

4. Its the job of Prime Minister he wants, again

Allawi is working on a forging a Sunni-Shiite secular political faction. I think he plans to contest, and win the largest number of seats, in the December elections.

[ECH1969]

5. He has the Iraqi Islamic Party

And, he is picking up alot of other Sunni parties. It seems the Sunnis are hitching their horse to his cart to try to ride them back into power.

The Baathists know the Shia and Kurds would never accept a Sunni ex-Baathist as PM. But, they are using Allawi as a trojan horse because he is a Shia.

[Tempest]

6. He can't run for Prime Minister either

Same reason.

[enigma000]

7. You are correct

Article (66): The candidate for the president's post must:

1st -- be Iraqi by birth from Iraqi parents


Article (75):

1st -- The prime minister must meet the conditions set for the president of the republic. He must have a university degree or an equivalent and must be no younger than 35


http://www.ocnus.net/cgi-bin/exec/view.cgi?archive=77&num=20072&printer=1

hmmmmmmmm.... interesting

[Tempest]

8. Here's a good overview of the constitution from an Iraqi

http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

[enigma000]

10. Quite the blog

I always enjoy an Iraqi perspective on these things - and certainly a women's one. She doesn't seem to pleased with the draft constitution; I guess she will be voting against.

[Tempest]

11. The only women who vote for the constitution

Will be the ones forced to by their husbands and fathers.

The constitution removes many of the rights women had under Saddam.

[enigma000]

13. I guess we will see what happens

Iraqis will be able to read this draft constitution, discuss it among themselves and freely vote for or against it (even under an American occupation). If women and the majority of Sunni vote against it, it will fail.

In fairness, if they reject the constitution in October, that's not a disaster because then they have the opportunity to try again, this time with elected Sunni officials. Perhaps a more secular version could be drafted.

[gratuitous]

15. Well, no one could have foreseen what's happened in Iraq

I mean, Donald Rumsfeld, Douglas Feith and all the other neo-imperialist architects of this invasion figured for sure that the invading American wehrmacht would be showered with flowers and gratitude by the local population. You know, just like the Germans were so gratefully received by the Poles and the French back in 1939-1940, or the Soviets in Afghanistan in 1979 and the years following.

And what's with that requirement that the Iraqi president be of "pure blood"? Considering the extremely arbitrary nature of the borders that the retiring western powers drew when they finally left the region during the 20th Century, folks in the north of Iraq have far more in common culturally and historically with their neighbors in Turkey and Iran than they do with the people in the south of their own country.

We compound mistake on mistake, and through our ignorance make a bad situation worse every time we intervene. It would be almost comical if the consequences weren't so lethal for the people living in those areas.

[acmavm]

2. Funny he didn't see a lot of things as he was putting bullets in the

heads of 'insurgents'.

He has no credibility. But then again, in a sane world no one would be listening to Chalabi or giving him a position of responsibility. (As for Chalabi, I think that all the Iran-spy shit was just a scam to get his where he is today. And it worked.)

[ECH1969]

3. Of course Allawi isn't against violence

He is for the Iraqi state committing the violence not local leaders like Sadr.

[bemildred]

9. Mr Allawi needs to buy himself a clue.

It was the vacuum of governance that he fostered that led to
the rise of the militias, and at this point in time there is
nobody who has the ability to disarm or disband the militias.

[Zodiak]

12. Allawi is a CIA terrorist

He performed anti-Saddam terrorism at the behest of the American governmnt. One such operation killed a busload of kids.

And Reuters quotes him as if he deserved to be quoted. Just anothr American hired killer.

[saigon68]

14. A Lap Dog for the BUSH CRIMINALS

Chalabi at this year's State of the Union address, sitting right behind Laura Bush.

LIKE THE CHALABI LAP DOG