Iraq Press Roundup

Departed PUK members may form new party

Sources with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan said the party failed to persuade some of its members to reconsider their resignations, Sot al-Iraq reported Monday.

Members of the PUK of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani resigned earlier in February and are expected to form a new independent political party to run against the PUK in the parliamentary elections later in the year.

Five leading members of the PUK resigned over disputes concerning whether fellow PUK lawmaker Nawshirwan Mustafa should be dismissed, as well as allegations of party corruption.

Other members had presented Talabani with a memorandum of reformation to spell out the terms of their return to the party.

Talabani accepted the measure, which laid out provisions to foster more transparency for party finances and greater oversight of the PUK intelligence services, as well as the Kurdish militia, the Peshmerga.

Maliki seeks protection for Daini immunity

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered security forces to honor the immunity of Mohamed al-Daini, a lawmaker linked to a deadly attack on a government building, Azzaman reported Monday.

Daini stands accused of plotting a bomb attack on the Iraqi Parliament building in April 2007 that left nine dead, including a member of Parliament, and 20 others injured.

Iraqi security forces surrounded the Rasheed hotel where Daini has stayed for the past two days in anticipation of his arrest. Baghdad has prevented him from leaving the country.

Lawmakers raised objections to the measures, saying the tactics were similar to those enacted during the Saddam Hussein era in an effort to control political dissent.

Daini, a harsh critic of the Iraqi government, has issued a series of condemnations of alleged human-rights abuses in the Iraqi prison system as well as claims of Iranian meddling in Iraq's internal affairs. Regardless, Maliki ordered security forces to comply with his orders and assure Daini is safe.

Iraqi security forces arrested two of his relatives in a raid last week. Azzaman said the forces coerced his relatives into admitting the lawmaker planned the deadly 2007 attack.

Daini, a member of the Sunni National Dialogue Front, denies the allegations as a political tool to counter his claims about the prison system.

The Awakening Councils ally with Anbar rivals

Ahmed Abu Risha, the leader of the Sunni tribal Awakening Councils, said his bloc for provincial elections would form an alliance with other parties in Anbar, al-Iraq lil-Kul reported Monday.

Abu Risha said the Awakening coalition would sign on to deals to form alliances with the leading parties from the January provincial elections. The Awakening slate took eight of the 29 seats in Anbar, followed by the Iraqi National Project and the Iraqi Islamic Party, which tied for second place with six seats each.

The National Project of Salih Mutlaq, the Iraqi List of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and others moved to sign on to the alliance.

The provincial councils are tasked next with choosing a governor. Abu Risha said the first consideration would weigh the integrity of the person, followed by the competency of the candidate to serve in office.

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(Edited by Daniel Graeber)