Iraq MPs 'come to blows' in sign of tensions
by Mohamad Ali Harissi
AFP Global Edition
Jun 12, 2011 09:24 EDT
Two rival Iraqi lawmakers came to blows inside parliament on Sunday at a time of rising tension between Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shiite bloc and a rival Sunni-backed alliance.
The fight started when Kamal Saadi from Maliki's State of Law alliance beat the Iraqiya party's Haidar al-Mulla with his walking stick inside the parliamentary cafe, a parliamentary source said.
"Saadi beat Mulla with his cane, and when he tried to react, other MPs pulled them apart," the source said on condition of anonymity.
Confirming the fight, Mulla told AFP: "Saadi's behaviour is part of a culture that cannot deal with the democratic change in Iraq. Members of parliament should have the minimum standards of decency."
Saadi, however, denied a fight had taken place, saying that "Mulla said in the media that I am a liar. I asked him to apologise, but he didn't."
The increasingly frayed ties between the two camps, which finished neck-and-neck in last year's election and are now part of a unity government, have sparked concern major issues confronting Iraq will go unresolved, and come with just months to go before all US troops must withdraw from the country.
Shortly after the clash, Iraqiya MPs walked out of a parliament session in protest against unspecified attacks towards the slate's leader Iyad Allawi, party spokeswoman Maysoon al-Damaluji said.
Two MPs loyal to Maliki's bloc, meanwhile, said Maliki's Dawa Party, which is the main bloc in the State of Law alliance, had filed a defamation lawsuit against Allawi.
Tensions have been on the rise between Maliki and Allawi, whose party won last year's election by a slender margin but was unable to muster the seats for a majority.
Maliki, whose bloc finished second in last year's poll, became prime minister after more than nine months of deadlock and infighting.
On Friday, Allawi alleged in a televised address that Maliki "was supported by Iran and foreign countries to become prime minister."
"They lied to the people when it came to the 100-day period," he added, referring to a widely-touted timeframe set by Maliki which expired last week with little in the way of landmark legislation having been passed.
Maliki, for his part, has charged that political rivals were trying to sabotage government projects in an effort to portray him as ineffective.
Newspapers have quoted official sources as saying that Maliki had accused Allawi of organising Friday's anti-government protests in Baghdad and several other cities.
Iraqi political analyst Ihsan al-Shammari warned that Sunday's events marked "a big escalation between Maliki and Allawi," and added that "the situation looks dangerous, especially after today's dispute between the two MPs."
Hundreds took to the streets nationwide on Friday to denounce what they said was a lack of government progress after the 100-day deadline. In Baghdad, thousand of pro-government supporters also showed up to shift the focus.
The political tensions come with Iraq still yet to decide whether it wants US troops to stay beyond a year-end deadline for their withdrawal, with Washington pressing officials in Baghdad to choose soon.
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by Mohamad Ali Harissi
AFP Global Edition
Jun 12, 2011 09:24 EDT
Two rival Iraqi lawmakers came to blows inside parliament on Sunday at a time of rising tension between Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shiite bloc and a rival Sunni-backed alliance.
The fight started when Kamal Saadi from Maliki's State of Law alliance beat the Iraqiya party's Haidar al-Mulla with his walking stick inside the parliamentary cafe, a parliamentary source said.
"Saadi beat Mulla with his cane, and when he tried to react, other MPs pulled them apart," the source said on condition of anonymity.
Confirming the fight, Mulla told AFP: "Saadi's behaviour is part of a culture that cannot deal with the democratic change in Iraq. Members of parliament should have the minimum standards of decency."
Saadi, however, denied a fight had taken place, saying that "Mulla said in the media that I am a liar. I asked him to apologise, but he didn't."
The increasingly frayed ties between the two camps, which finished neck-and-neck in last year's election and are now part of a unity government, have sparked concern major issues confronting Iraq will go unresolved, and come with just months to go before all US troops must withdraw from the country.
Shortly after the clash, Iraqiya MPs walked out of a parliament session in protest against unspecified attacks towards the slate's leader Iyad Allawi, party spokeswoman Maysoon al-Damaluji said.
Two MPs loyal to Maliki's bloc, meanwhile, said Maliki's Dawa Party, which is the main bloc in the State of Law alliance, had filed a defamation lawsuit against Allawi.
Tensions have been on the rise between Maliki and Allawi, whose party won last year's election by a slender margin but was unable to muster the seats for a majority.
Maliki, whose bloc finished second in last year's poll, became prime minister after more than nine months of deadlock and infighting.
On Friday, Allawi alleged in a televised address that Maliki "was supported by Iran and foreign countries to become prime minister."
"They lied to the people when it came to the 100-day period," he added, referring to a widely-touted timeframe set by Maliki which expired last week with little in the way of landmark legislation having been passed.
Maliki, for his part, has charged that political rivals were trying to sabotage government projects in an effort to portray him as ineffective.
Newspapers have quoted official sources as saying that Maliki had accused Allawi of organising Friday's anti-government protests in Baghdad and several other cities.
Iraqi political analyst Ihsan al-Shammari warned that Sunday's events marked "a big escalation between Maliki and Allawi," and added that "the situation looks dangerous, especially after today's dispute between the two MPs."
Hundreds took to the streets nationwide on Friday to denounce what they said was a lack of government progress after the 100-day deadline. In Baghdad, thousand of pro-government supporters also showed up to shift the focus.
The political tensions come with Iraq still yet to decide whether it wants US troops to stay beyond a year-end deadline for their withdrawal, with Washington pressing officials in Baghdad to choose soon.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]