Iraq Press Roundup

Don't elect the 290 list

The Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council of influential Shiite cleric Abdul Aziz al-Hakim is one of the leading parties that brought the country to the brink of civil war, Sot al-Iraq said Wednesday.

Iraqis must not support the SIIC national council slate, 290 of the United Iraqi Alliance, and other Islamic parties in the January provincial elections, because they do not embrace a platform that benefits the country.

SIIC and its supporters are trying to cater to public religious sentiments by using pictures of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in their campaign slogans, proving a lack of nationalism.

The Shiite party is also using mosques and the media to deceive the voting public, in an effort to maintain a hold on power, despite lacking a campaign message for the needs of the people.

Both efforts violate Iraqi law, though SIIC claims the depictions and use of institutions are for religious purposes only.

If the people decided to nominate officials from the 290 slate, the same party that brought failure to political and national projects, they would lose the right to complain about the lack of drinking water, utilities and other social services, the newspaper said.

The peaceful role hoped for the federal Iraq

A federal and democratic Iraq could play a positive role in the region by coordinating interior matters with the interests of neighboring countries, the daily newspaper Azzaman said Wednesday.

Kurdish control over four of the northern Iraqi provinces is a key issue for national reconciliation, as well as matters related to oil, water and Iraqi culture. Iraq should move positively toward resolving these matters as they have a direct impact on neighboring Iran, Turkey and Syria.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, however, is moving to create tensions with Kurdish officials. He moved against Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the ethnically diverse city of Khanaqin in Diyala province in an effort to undermine Kurdish authority during the summer.

Maliki should change course, the newspaper said.

The Kurdish government in Iraq has lost patience with Maliki following a decision brokered with Turkish officials over the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. It runs counter to the goals of national reconciliation, the newspaper said, for Maliki to deal with Turkey in what amounts to a campaign against Iraqis.

Iraq, between campaign promises and post-election bureaucracy

The political environment in Iraq is a special circumstance, despite the fact that failure to act on campaign promises is an international phenomenon, al-Ahali said Wednesday.

The Iraqi people need to take a careful look at the provincial council candidates in order to choose the most competent leaders. They should vote logically for officials who will be able to rebuild the country and impose the rule of law.

It is a national obligation to ignore those candidates who are living luxurious lifestyles with public financing while average Iraqis are struggling for even basic necessities, the newspaper said.

The voice of the people is strong enough to topple a government and replace it, if necessary. This voice could secure a brighter future for generations to come, and the people need to come to terms with this capability.

If they fall victim to empty slogans and false campaign promises, however, they will only bring a new face to Iraq's oppression.

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(Edited by Daniel Graeber)