Iraqi minister praises tribal elders

BAGHDAD, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- The Iraqi deputy minister of culture hailed the resiliency of tribal customs and traditions in shaping the face of a democratic Iraq.

"The Iraqi Republic may have officially canceled tribal law in 1958, but 50 years later Iraq's tribal system is alive and well and has earned a seat in a regional democracy paradigm," Jaber al-Jaberi said in the Lebanese Daily Star Tuesday.

Jaberi said the strength of the sub-national tribal groups held the nation of Iraq together following past oppressive regimes and the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

He noted that as recently as 2007, tribal councilmen were prohibited from carrying weapons and were largely "politically and economically marginalized" in Iraq.

Jaberi said that in the face of economic stagnation and the destruction of various cities, tribal groups in Anbar province emerged to take control of the security situation themselves.

The security forces operating under the Anbar councils eventually routed "foreign insurgents" from the western province, he said.

Jaberi credited tribal elders with offering young men faced with few economic opportunities an alternative way to reintegrate into their communities, saying the elders were "fighting to maintain a unified Iraq."

"Every Iraqi government has tried and failed to disband the tribal system. Today, we have seen that the tribal mechanism (including tribal leaders, tribal law, and tribal judges) has demonstrated its effectiveness and has earned a place in a modern Iraq," Jaberi said.