Iraq Sunnis name speaker candidate

[seriousstan]

After several delays, Iraqi Sunni political parties have nominated a candidate for the speakership of the country's National Assembly.


Aljazeera learned that a number of Sunni Arab political parties in Iraq chose Mishaan al-Jiburi as their candidate on Wednesday.



Al-Jiburi was nominated at a meeting attended by representatives of the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP), Sunni Waqf (endowment), Iraqi Independent Democratic Gathering (IIDG), the Iraqiyyun (Iraqis) Gathering, Constitutional Monarchy Movement of Iraq (CMMI) and the Arab Democratic Party (ADP), as well as other political and tribal groupings.



The nomination comes after talks broke down at a key Iraqi parliament meeting, raising fears of a delay in drawing up a permanent constitution because of the failure of Kurds, Shia and Sunnis to agree on a government.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A4D4A672-19AF-4BFF-9CEF-5DAFB3F3D1C2.htm

[expatriot]

1. The invisibile hand of U.S. influence is so apparent in this...

Isn't it just so quaint? Kurds get the presidency, Shias get the prime minister, and now the Sunnis get to be speaker of the parliament! Ahhh.... Happy Happy Happy!

[Kagemusha]

2. Save it.

In this case the Iraqis wanted it this way. In this case.

[Teaser]

8. Nope

Not enough Iraqis, apparently. This one went down in flames fast. I'm still laughing at this clown show we keep trying to shoehorn into a government.

[Lone Pawn]

4. That's actually what Iraqis chose on their own.

Iraqis aren't stupid. How long do you think any given group would stay in the government if they had no representation? How long would Shi'a authority last if the Kurds and Sunnis pulled out of the government? Do you think Shi'a politicians WANT a civil war? Some hardcore clerics, maybe, but not the pols.

[expatriot]

5. It looks like the Shiites just rejected this... so, no its not the Iraqis

that chose this. Iraq has already broken up into sectarian divisions and so the concept of the "Iraqis" wanting this or that is a pipe dream...

[Lone Pawn]

9. The Shi'a rejected the given candidate, *not* the division of powers.

Don't be so quick to cry failure. There are certainly times to--this parliamentary session is becoming a nightmare--but make certain you actually know *why* it's a failure, or you'll just sound silly.

[Vladimir]

10. For as long as the US troops kept them in power

How exactly do you think the provisionals have survived the last two years? Cos of the foreign troops.

By the way of which, the Kurds ain't gonna pull out of anything, since they are in a rather cosy position of having a de-facto autonomous region and the only half competent domestic armed force around (insurgency aside). The Shia certainly don't want a civil war, hardcore clerics especially, since they know full well that they will get what they want at the polls every time. This charade is gonna drag on for a while and end up with a government that will struggle to implement any very coherent programme, and the 14 bases will stay there 'for as long as needed', i.e. for as long as we please.

Perversely, this kind of separation of powers has been tried in several places: Yugoslavia pre 1991, Lebanon, Kosovo under NATO, Bossnia under the EU... nowhere has it worked very well. What arrangements of this sort tend to do is highlight ethnic/religious divisions instead of removing them. It is an absolute blueprint for a future dissolution/Balkanization of Iraq, and since the people organising these elections (our governments) are not idiots (jokes aside), one might conclude that this is the intent.

[Maple]

3. He's been

turned down. The search begins anew

[expatriot]

6. the search begins anew for a non-Sunni Sunni.

[Teaser]

7. Already rejecfted by the Shi'ah.

That was fast. And it won't play well.

[Kagemusha]

11. Yeah, but that's the Iraqis' own making too.

Didn't want some Baath loser. Not that I blame them, but it's a mess.

[Teaser]

12. Problem is, there are too many

"Iraqi" groups. Pleasing one group forces us to alienate another group. I'm sure there is a solution of "least frustration" but I'll be damned if I can see it.