Sadr faction leaves Shiite alliance

Published: Sept. 15, 2007 at 11:26 PM

BAGHDAD, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- The Shiite faction loyal to Moqtada Sadr announced plans Saturday to drop out of a Shiite coalition in the Iraqi Parliament.

While Sadr’s support was critical to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki when he formed his government last year, the loss of it may not hurt him much because of political change, The New York Times reported.

The Sadr group, while a member of the United Iraqi Alliance, has not been included in discussions with Kurdish groups about allowing some former Baathists to be employed by the government. Sadr opposes any compromise on de-Baathification.

“Since the UIA didn’t respond to the demands of the Sadrists, the political commission of the Sadrists decided to withdraw from the UIA,” said Salah al-Obeidi, a spokesman for the group. “We haven’t seen any serious discussions with us from the dominating powers in the alliance.”

The Sadr group holds 30 seats in Parliament. Without them, the UIA holds 83 of the 275 seats.

© 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
Korean interest rate unchanged (7 min)
Watercooler Stories
Jockstrip: The world as we know it.
Your Daily Horoscope
The almanac
NHL: Columbus 3, Florida 0
NHL: Los Angeles 5, San Jose 4 (OT)
fark
Dartmouth's obscene heckling of Harvard at a recent squash match is wrinkling up sweater vests throughout...
"The truth is that there are millions of American men who find older women attractive, and we will...
A Boy Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, merciless to POWs, obedient,...
Fark's official weapon has been found
New Orleans thug robs "Lucky Dog" vendor near Bourbon Street... A vendor who happens to be a Marine...
Ric Romero: Tattoos could destroy your chance at getting a job. 1 hour ago via Facebook for iPhone...