Al-Hayat reporting on Iraqi elections

I’m just quickly working my way through the top of an article in Sunday’s Al-Hayat (Jan. 16th). It’s titled, “The fear of a Sunni boycott hangs over the election campaign and the ‘Ansar al-Sunna’ is responsible for the kidnaping of 15 Guardsman [ING]”.
The dateline is, “Baghdad, Abu Dhabi, London, Al-Hayat” Here’s the top of the piece:

    The fear of a Sunni boycott of the Iraqi elections hangs over the information campaigns that the candidates have launched. And while the Minister of the Economy and member of SCIRI Adel Abdel-Mahdi stressed that the participation of 40-50 percent of the Sunnis is enough to make the elections legitimate, Ahmad Chalabi said that, “A handful of terrorists will not prevent the Iraqis from voting.” And the former National Security Advisor Muwaffaq Rubaiee stressed that, “There is no goal to establish an Islamic state along Iranian lines.”
    And Saudi Arabia and the UAE, in a joint communique issued at the end of the visit of the [Saudi] second deputy prime minister, and Minister of defense and Aircraft, Prince Sultan ibn Abdel-Aziz to Abu Dhabi,expressed their hope that all Iraqis would take part in the political process.
    On the security front, the ‘Army of the Ansar [partisans] of the Sunna’ announced its responsibility for the kidnapping of 15 members of the National Guard; and 17 bodies were discovered south of Baghdad; and meanwhile an American helicopter was damaged during clashes with armed men in Mosul, but no casualties have been announced.
    In Baghdad, the parties and [political] forces intensified their electoral activities, and the head of the ‘Constitutional Monarchy Movement’, Sharif Ali bin al-Hussein, toured a number of schools while the Prime Minister Iyad Allawi visited Tikrit; and speakers for the ‘United Iraqi Alliance’ list which is supported by the Shiite Marja Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani held a press conference, under a large picture of the Shiite Marja Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani: the speakers included the leader of the National Congress, Ahmad Chalabi, and the leader of SCIRI, Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim, and the head of the Daawa Party, Ibrahim Jaafari…

Just before I post this and run off, I note that a couple of days ago Allawi had announced that no-one should use “religious symbols” in their campaigning– and that, yes, indeed, that included pictures of religious figures like Sistani. So I guess he does not get to control everything in this election, after all..

4 thoughts on “Al-Hayat reporting on Iraqi elections”

  2. Salah, hi, good to have your comment here.
    I totally agree with your assessment that Iraq was unlawfully invaded by a small group of foreign nations led by the US, and that there was no effective transfer of sovereignty at all last June/July.
    I do think, however, that if the US forces are to exit rapidly and with the minimum possible of further damage to Iraqi people and their society, then the best way to achieve that is to have a single Iraqi voice that can successfully, using negotiations and many forms of (preferably nonviolent) mass pressure, make it clear to the Bushies that a speedy and complete exit is what they have to do.
    I believe that the upcoming elections, though very deeply flawed in many procedural aspects, offer at least a chance that such a leadership can be generated through them.
    From my side, I’ll be doing all I can inside US society to press for a speedy and complete withdrawal from Iraq.

  3. Dear Helena
    Thanks for your kind attention, I quiet agree with most your points, I think and I believe most the Iraqi also may some American agree that US lost the first opportunity when they went in, it was a huge relief for Iraqi to get rid of SADDAM and most of them appreciates the US for that, but a lot of mistake wiped out that feeling.
    I think there should be compromise what on the ground and US interest in the region, so let listen to the real Iraqi and stop the blood shad which both side loose there lives.
    I thing the first step if US start to free the streets in major cities from the military personal and military tanks and trucks, and just secure the main and important place and leave the street policing to Iraqi they can do the job better and more convenient for ordinary Iraqi.
    If US come with good well working with Iraqi I thing they will join them, it might at this stage issuer Iraqi that US force will withdrew from the country with time frame set now even if this not achievable its better to issuer Iraqis with is. This is the key point for them.
    2nd step, this is very sensitive issue, which is the Iraqi-Iranian (or Iranian Backing) guys these are not welcoming in Iraq this very sensitive issue and US needs to put a huge pressure on Iran to stop this, all we knew that hundreds thousands of these guys flooded to Iraq after the ware stopped so I don’t what we can do…
    But please talk to real Iraqi please there are not evils believe me.
    The last thing is you need to find a solution for the people there were in the army and solve there problem there is hundreds of thousand of them try to use them they not belong to SADDAM regime they are normal military Iraqis and they have respect from the Iraqis, but takeout a bad ones from them I think this is not a hard job just ask them they will tell you who was bad who was with the regime and who is good don’t be sensitive about them.
    I hope this will help and I will be back with new posts.
    Good Bless

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