Unlikely alliance seen in Baghdad

By ZAINEB NAJI

INSTITUTE FOR WAR & PEACE REPORTING

BAGHDAD — Having decided to abandon the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, members of the Sunni-led Iraqi Accord Front are considering what once would have been unthinkable: joining an opposition alliance that could include members of parliament loyal to radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

All six cabinet ministers from the front quit the government last week to protest what they called the prime minister’s failure to respond to a set of demands.

Among them were the release of security detainees not charged with specific crimes, the disbanding of militias and the participation of all groups represented in the government in dealing with security issues.

Now, the Accord Front and the Sadrists are discussing whether to line up with the Shia-led Fadhila Party and former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi’s largely secular Iraqia bloc.

Such an alliance could be powerful enough to bring down the current government with a no-confidence vote or call for the replacement of certain ministers, said Salim Abdullah of the Iraqi Accord Front.

A Sunni-Shia-secular link-up might seem like an unlikely alliance, considering that Sunni militias and Sadr’s Mahdi Army are considered to be the main sources of sectarian violence currently racking the country.

But all three parties share many of the same positions, including opposition to the proposed oil law and efforts toward the devolution of authority.

All three have been highly critical of Maliki’s government and faulted its efforts to form a broad coalition made up of Shia, Kurdish and possibly Sunni parties.

Many Sunnis argue that unless they align themselves with more radical elements of the Shiite community, they run of the risk of being politically marginalized.

“Changes need to occur,” said Bahaa al-A’araji, a member of Parliament with the Sadr bloc. “The government is weak and the Iraqi people are suffering as a result.”

Other Sunni parties, particularly the Iraqi Islamic Party led by vice-president Tariq al-Hashimi, have also accused Maliki of not consulting Sunni members of his cabinet on key issues.

“We’re ignored in many strategic decisions,” Abdullah said.

Sunni support

While Sunnis represent a minority of Iraqis, their political involvement is crucial to any new opposition alliance because major political decisions need Sunni support.

If such an opposition alliance actually did come together, it would have 124 of the parliament’s 275 votes — not enough to force a no-confidence vote in the current government, but more than adequate to block most legislation.

Maliki has been busy himself attempting to form a coalition that would include moderate Shias, Sunnis and Kurds.

“The Sunni presence in this coalition is needed to form a national moderate Iraqi alliance,” said Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish member of parliament.

Bush administration support

And observers note that at least for the moment, Maliki still has one ace up his sleeve: the support of the Bush administration. Even if Sunnis and Sadrists come together in opposition to the current government, it might not be enough in the face of Washington’s continued support.

With growing dissatisfaction by members of Congress over the pace of reforms by the current government, just how long the Bush administration is willing to place its hopes on Maliki is anyone’s guess.

X Zaineb Naji is a journalist in Iraq for The Institute for War & Peace Reporting, a nonprofit organization that trains journalists in areas of conflict. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services