By MAZIN YAHYA, Associated Press Writer
24 Apr 2008
BAGHDAD - Iraq's prime minister said Thursday that all political blocs have agreed to return to the Shiite-led government — a potentially important sign of success in efforts toward national reconciliation.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's optimistic remarks came a week after lawmakers with Iraq's main Sunni political bloc said the group has agreed in principle to return to the government nearly nine months after quitting the Cabinet.
A return of the Sunnis would be a boost to al-Maliki and seen by Washington as a significant step forward.
[emphasis added]
Getting the Sunnis to rejoin the Government is a big deal.
Meanwhile, al Sadr - with his large Shi'ite following - is still treated as a pariah.
I note that Maliki dare not send Iraqi troops agains Sunni militias, most of which are on U.S. payroll. He has no problems sending Iraqi troops against al Sadr's Mahdi Army... the U.S. would be tickled pink if al Sadr just went away.
Meanwhile:
Al-Sadr may restart full-scale fight against US in IraqNote the sources cited: "Shiite lawmakers and politicians" - members of Maliki's coalition, who have been working overtime to marginalize al Sadr.
By HAMZA HENDAWI and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writers
24 Apr 2008
BAGHDAD - Muqtada al-Sadr is considering setting aside his political ambitions and restarting a full-scale fight against U.S.-led forces — a worrisome shift that may reflect Iranian influence on the young cleric and could open the way for a shadow state protected by his powerful Mahdi Army.
A possible breakaway path — described to The Associated Press by Shiite lawmakers and politicians — would represent the ultimate backlash to the Iraqi government's pressure on al-Sadr to renounce and disband his Shiite militia.
By snubbing the give-and-take of politics, al-Sadr would have a freer hand to carve out a kind of parallel state with its own militia and social services along the lines of Hezbollah in Lebanon, a Shiite group founded with Iran's help in the 1980s.
[emphasis added]
"Fair and balanced" reporting!
Note also: "al-Sadr" and "Hezbollah" are now mentioned in the same sentence... with the added info that Hezbollah was "founded with Iran's help."
That little sleight-of-hand comes courtesy of a recent report by Refugees International (Cleric Sadr key player in helping poor Iraqis: report), which suggested that Sadr's organization was playing much the same humanitarian role in Iraq that Hezbollah was in Lebanon... tho' the report attempted to clarify that this analogy was just that: an analogy - not meant to imply any link between Hezbollah/Iran and Sadr.
Seems the Associated Press is still drinking W's Kool-Aid.
Stop the madness!
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