Iraq Press Roundup

Failure: A letter to our "friends" the participants in the political process

The Iraqi Sunni population had declined all aspects of the post-Saddam Hussein era, but over the course of time, they were ready to compromise with the new government in Baghdad.

Sunnis claim their involvement in the political process is to bring about reform as questions emerge over the legitimacy of their participation, al-Basaer newspaper of the Association of Muslim Scholars said Wednesday.

Sunni lawmakers withdrew from Parliament with dignity when the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki continued down the wrong path. Some Sunni members of government had managed to land top positions in the Maliki government in 2005. The Iraqi people, however, saw the 2005 elections as a sham due to disfavor with the ruling Shiite majority.

The Sunnis later lost much of their support when they failed to take up the issues of ethnic cleansing and forced displacement perpetrated by the Shiite government in Baghdad. As a consequence, they turned to even less favorable positions such as the security pact with the United States.

Sunni lawmakers were the ones who ultimately shook hands with the Iraqi government and U.S. forces when they approved the measure that sanctioned the continued occupation of Iraq, the newspaper said.

These Sunnis will find no path to escape, as it was they who failed, not the political process. Their armored vehicles and their diplomatic passports will not save them, al-Basaer warned.

Fabricated crises and a postponed trust

Many observers sense outside influences are trying to create obstacles for the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in order to usher in confusion as the security situation improves.

The priorities of individual interests in Iraq reveal some of the hidden agendas of the mission there, Addustour newspaper said Wednesday.

People with personal agendas in Iraq are encouraging the people not to trust the government until it resolves the Kurdish issue and until it meets the terms of political reformation. Even though the constitution was changed and political offices reassigned, disputes continue.

Forming alliances with the countries that supported the overthrow of Saddam Hussein is one of the mistakes Iraqi politicians keep repeating. The Iraqi government, as a consequence, has allowed dozens of countries to operate in Iraq while scores of people are being killed and immunity is extended to foreign contractors.

Meanwhile, on internal matters, no steps have been taken to eliminate ongoing disputes between members of the Iraqi government, which is a key step to bringing about national reconciliation.

Realistic partnership guarantees a united people and country

Many parties in Iraq are looking to stoke the crisis between the Arabs, Kurds and other ethnic groups, divisions that did not exist before the so-called liberation of Iraq.

Unity among the various ethnic and sectarian groups in Iraq disappeared when the new government took power and commenced infighting for personal gains, the Baghdad-based al-Taakhi newspaper said Wednesday.

The sour relationship between the Kurds and the Arabs was the fault of both parties. The Kurds contributed to divisions when they embraced anti-Arab sentiments, while the Arabs started to fear the consequences of an independent Kurdish region in Iraq.

These disagreements revert Iraq to the times when Saddam Hussein divided the components of Iraqi society and changed regional demographics in an attempt to control the population.

Arab worries over the effects of an independent Kurdish region and Kurdish concerns over the emergence of another Arab dictatorship are problems with no foreseeable resolution. The only ones who are benefiting from this are the ones who exacerbate the situation for their own personal gain.

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(Edited by Daniel Graeber)