Tuesday Afternoon Iraq Parliament News Highlights 8-16-22

Tuesday Afternoon Iraq Parliament News Highlights 8-16-22

Al-Fateh: It Is Possible To Solve The Political Crisis In The Country If President Barzani Intervenes

Posted On2022-08-16 By Sotaliraq    A member of the Al-Fateh Alliance, Ayed Al-Hilali, confirmed, on Sunday, that the head of the Democratic Party, Massoud Barzani, can solve the current political impasse in the country and mediate with all parties to end the crisis.

Al-Hilali said in an interview with Al-Akhbariya website, "It is possible that the political crisis in the country will be resolved if the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Massoud Barzani, intervenes seriously and with great enthusiasm, especially after his meeting with the leader of the Al-Fateh Alliance Hadi Al-Amiri in Erbil."

Al-Hilali added, "Barzani's intervention on the line as a mediator or player to bring the views between the political partners, especially the Shiite house, will have positive returns to resolve the crisis."

Al-Hilali called on Iraqi politicians to "deal logically with the events taking place in the country," warning against "the situation sliding to unimaginable levels."

On Sunday, Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani received Hadi al-Amiri in the Salah al-Din resort near Erbil.

During the meeting, they exchanged views on the political situation, the latest developments in Iraq and the obstacles facing the political process, according to a statement from the headquarters of the Kurdish leader, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party.

During the meeting, the two sides stressed that all parties should move to solve the existing problems and devote efforts to overcoming the political crisis.

This is while a member of the “Al-Fateh” coalition, Mahdi Al-Shiblawi, said, on Monday, that the President of the Alliance, Hadi Al-Amiri, visited Parliament Speaker Muhammad Al-Halbousi, and then the Kurdistan leader, Massoud Barzani, to see the vision of the Kurds and Sunnis regarding the political crisis in Iraq.

Al-Shiblawy explained, "Al-Amiri discussed with all the parties he visited the demands of the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, and how to discuss them and search for radical solutions to the crisis."

Noting that "Iraq needs everyone, and there must be a national consensus on decisions and demands, and the language of dialogue and partnership must be strengthened away from escalation."   LINK

The Conflict Of The 'Current' And The 'Framework' Is Escalating.. Has The Moment Of Al-Sistani Come?

Posted On2022-08-16 By Sotaliraq   The conflict escalated between the Sadrist movement led by Muqtada al-Sadr, and the forces of the "coordinating framework" backed by Iran, after the Judicial Council announced that it would not interfere in the issue of dissolving parliament, amid questions about the possibility of the religious authority Ali al-Sistani's intervention to end the 10-month-old crisis.

A few days ago, al-Sadr’s supporters have been camping in the parliament building in the middle of the Green Zone, where their leader demanded the dissolution of the Iraqi parliament and the holding of early elections, while the “coordinating framework” forces reject this path, and instead call for the formation of a new government and the amendment of the electoral law, and then proceeding with early elections.

Al-Sadr resorted to the Supreme Judicial Council and asked it to dissolve Parliament, to which the latter responded that its powers did not allow this, amid fears of civil disobedience that Al-Sadr might declare.

Attention to Sistani

In the midst of these developments, attention is directed to the supreme authority of Iraq's Shiites, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and whether he will issue a fatwa or clear instructions to put an end to the political crisis, especially since over the past years, al-Sistani's interventions have been decisive when matters reach certain levels.

Over the past years, Sistani's interventions have been decisive in some issues, whether direct instructions and recommendations, or fatwas and Friday sermons delivered by his agents in the provinces of Najaf and Karbala.

The Shiite political blocs have said that Al-Sistani is one of the “safety valves” regarding the situation in Iraq, and will stand in the way of any attempt to erupt an armed conflict between the factions or parties that have armed arms. The current and the frame, each brandishing its military might.

In 2014, Al-Sistani intervened with his famous call for citizens to volunteer within the ranks of the security forces to confront ISIS, which then entered the Nineveh Governorate, to be established based on that fatwa, the Popular Mobilization, and several armed factions that were fighting outside Iraq acquire an official and legal status.

But al-Sistani faced objections and criticism from political figures and even religious references, that his fatwa was used to legitimize armed militias.

In the same year, al-Sistani clearly intervened as well, when the head of the “State of Law” coalition, Nuri al-Maliki, insisted on taking over as prime minister for a third term, but a message arrived from al-Sistani to the political blocs, that he should be changed, which is what actually happened.

The checklist is monitoring the situation

In turn, a cleric close to the religious authority stressed that “the reference was not its previous interventions as a matter of guardianship, but the respect it enjoys from everyone makes its words heard in many critical times,” noting that “it is now monitoring the situation, and receiving continuous reports about the situation.” The level of conflict between the political forces.

The cleric, who refused to reveal his name, added to (BasNews), that "Sistani has closed his doors since 2013 to the political blocs, and refused to meet with any of them, because those meetings were not used for political promotion, as well as to deliver clear messages that he stands with everyone."

He pointed out that "the intervention of the reference, if it occurs, will be with recommendations and instructions that agree between the litigants, and calm the situation in the country, in general."

Despite the symbolism that Al-Sistani enjoys, his fatwas and instructions are not considered applicable to many political parties, factions and blocs, as he often spoke through his agents about the need for reforms in political action, fighting corruption, integrating militias into the ranks of the military, and not assigning responsibilities to (The experimenter) according to the famous saying (the experimenter does not try), but none of that happened, which raises questions about the extent to which the armed factions would respond to Sistani’s call, if he had launched it.

Some groups went even further, when they stood in the face of the popular protests that erupted in 2019, and incited against the demonstrators, of whom more than 800 people were killed, and about 25 others were injured, despite the fact that the religious authority clearly stood with those demonstrations, and demanded the implementation of its program , which indicates the possibility of the conflicting parties in Iraq indifference to any rational or secular appeal, even if it came from the Najaf authority.

Pro-Iranian Factions

In turn, political analyst Imad Muhammad believes that "the conflict between the political blocs at present, specifically between the "current" and the "framework", is still under the roof and regulated by the rules of engagement, and it is governed by several internal and external factors, and perhaps this level is the highest, and things will return. to its nature,” noting that “the Najaf authority is unlikely to intervene now, and it is waiting for the situation in general.”

Muhammad added, in a statement to (Basnews), that "most of the armed factions are affiliated with Iran and Khamenei's reference, and this also raises a question about the extent of their commitment to Sistani's fatwa, if issued," noting that "an armed clash - if it happened - Sistani's instructions, cannot be He stopped it without outside interference, specifically Iranian.”    LINK

Hoshyar Zebari: The Political Tension Between The Framework And The Current Has Reached Its Peak And Must Be Prevented

Posted On2022-08-16 By Sotaliraq    A member of the Political Bureau of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Hoshyar Zebari, said that civil wars do not happen by leadership decisions, and the political tension between the framework and the current has reached its peak and must be prevented.

Civil wars do not happen by leadership decisions, the Kurdish war in 1994 did not start with a decision by Messrs. Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani, but isolated and sporadic incidents of violence by field leaders were the cause," Zebari added in his tweet on Twitter on Monday.

He pointed out that "the current political tension between the Shiite forces, the framework and the current, has reached its peak and must be prevented, and let us benefit from history."   LINK

Al-Sadr: Do Not Raise My Pictures And Do Not Chant My Name During Saturday's "Million" Demonstrations

Posted On2022-08-16 By Sotaliraq   Saleh Muhammad al-Iraqi, known as the "minister" of the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, on Monday set the rules and instructions for the "million" demonstration scheduled to start next Saturday.

In a statement, Al-Iraqi mentioned seven instructions regarding today's demonstration, which are:

1- His Eminence says: It is forbidden to mention my name with a chant, speech, picture, banner, banner or anything else.

2- Peaceful and to the end in all its details.

3- Your demands are to reform the system in all its details: judicial, legislative and executive, and to hold the corrupt accountable.. It is strictly forbidden to demand the return of the Sadrist bloc to Parliament.

4- The security forces and the Popular Mobilization Forces are not only your brothers, but they are from you, to you, and to you. Attacking them is an infringement on His Eminence.

5- The march of the demonstration will be from Tahrir Square towards the Celebrations Square.

6- The judiciary and its headquarters is a red line, even if we demand its reform.

7- Due to the expected high attendance, please do not disturb the people.

He pointed out that "there are other instructions that we will provide you with later."   LINK

The Framework Unanimously Agrees On 4 Conditions Before Going To The Dissolution Of Parliament - Urgent

Article at link:   https://baghdadtoday.news/ar/news/198026/A

Observers: Saturday's Demonstrations Will Determine The Strength Of The Political Parties In The Street

Posted On2022-08-16 By Sotaliraq   Baghdad/ Firas Adnan   Observers expected that the demonstrations called by the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, on Saturday would be very large, indicating that public pressure would bring its results during the next week, but they warned against a clash between the protesters, and they spoke of a great split within the coordination framework regarding the call for the dissolution of Parliament and the holding of early elections.

Political researcher Ziad al-Arar said, "The leader of the Sadrist movement mobilized all Iraqis to demonstrate, and the invitation he addressed was not limited to his followers, but all and included all provinces."

Al-Arar continued, "Al-Sadr wants to announce that the public's demands are the same as those he raised in the reform process."

He expected, "These demonstrations will be very large in response to the coordination framework demonstration last Saturday, which had a good number of attendance and organization and ended with the sit-in."

Al-Arar explained that "Al-Sadr may resort to popular pressure until the end of next week."

He stressed, "The demonstration wants to convey a message that al-Sadr is more powerful, popular, and closer to the street in order to maintain pressure on the coordination framework."

Al-Arar pointed out that "the mass bases have a role, especially since a large percentage of the Iraqi people did not participate in the recent early elections."

He finds that "the one who is able to move the large percentage of the masses means that he is able to win the street in the upcoming early elections."

Al-Arar stressed, "The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, is sending a message to the street that we are facing a last chance to change the reality of the situation and go towards a clean political process and return the money.

He continues, "The Iraqis have reached a great stage of despair with the reform process, and therefore the Sadrists resorted to addressing vocabulary that mimics the mind and heart of the Iraqi street."

Al-Arar warned against "any public friction between supporters of the coordination framework and supporters of the Sadrist movement. Any incident could lead to a major catastrophe in the political scene."

He believed, "Leaders on both sides are aware of the seriousness of the situation and maintain the mass bases by moving away from each other, and from this point of view the coordination framework has distanced its audience by a distance of 2 km from Sadr's supporters, and between the two republics there are great barriers that prevent them from colliding."

Al-Arar went on to say that "the fear of friction, despite these strict security measures, is still present, because this will not only be reflected in Baghdad, but will also affect all provinces."

For his part, researcher Manaf al-Moussawi said, "The Sadrists' demonstrations are a message that the members of the current are the most present in the street, and the results of the recent elections showed the superiority enjoyed by al-Sadr."

Al-Moussawi added, "The coordinating framework is divided against itself, and this became clear when Al-Sadr demanded the dissolution of the House of Representatives and the holding of early elections."

He pointed out that "the leader of the Al-Fateh Alliance Hadi al-Amiri, the leader of the Victory Bloc Haider al-Abadi and the head of the National Sindh Gathering, Ahmed al-Asadi, welcomed al-Sadr's call. Another group rejected this invitation, led by the leader of the State of Law coalition, Nuri al-Maliki."

Al-Moussawi said, "Al-Maliki's position has become weak, especially after the leaks that appeared on social media, as it showed a recent talk to him that includes an attack on security institutions and the Iraqi citizen in general, recruiting groups outside the law, attacking Najaf and trying to target some personalities such as Al-Sadr."

In turn, another political researcher, Najm al-Qassab, stated that "a number of political forces had a wrong feeling that when al-Sadr directed his deputies to resign, he left political life."

Al-Qassab continued, "The mass of al-Sadr after his withdrawal from parliament has increased than it was in the past," explaining that "going towards demonstrations with a political presence in parliament would face objections and criticism. As for the resignation, it freed the Sadrist movement from these restrictions."

He pointed out that "the best solution to get out of this political impasse is to implement what al-Sadr proposed a solution to Parliament and go to early elections," and it is expected that "those measures will be achieved through political consensus."    LINK