NAJAF, Iraq - Shiite spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani called Thursday for IraqÂ’s next government to dismantle the deadly militias that have pushed the country to the brink of civil war. Sistani, perhaps the countryÂ’s most influential figure, told prime minister designate Nuri Al Maliki in a meeting at his Najaf residence that militias must be disarmed and that weapons should be in the hands of the government alone. | Now there's a radical concept |
In the last year, the septuagenarian cleric has watched Shiite militias take up arms against the country’s Sunni minority in defiance of his repeated warnings against seeking revenge for rebel attacks. “Weapons must be in the hands of government security forces that should not be tied to political parties but to the nation,” Sistani was quoted as saying in a statement released after his meeting with Maliki.
Maliki, who was chosen to be IraqÂ’s prime minister last week, is under pressure to form a power-sharing government that would curb sectarian violence, allegedly fueled by Shiite militias operating within the countryÂ’s interior ministry. Last week, he vowed to crack down on these militias, saying there were about 11 such armed units operating across Iraq.
The best-known militias are the well-organised Badr Brigade, the armed wing of the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) -- the main party in the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance; and the radical cleric Moqtada Al SadrÂ’s Mehdi Army. The young upstart Sadr, who is SistaniÂ’s major rival, holds the single largest parliamentary bloc with 32 seats in the 275-member parliament and is a staunch supporter of MalikiÂ’s fundamentalist Dawa Party. These militias have been accused by Sunni politicians of killing hundreds of Sunni Arabs following the bombing of a Shiite shrine in the northern town of Samarra in February.
After his meeting with Sistani, Maliki reiterated his call for the militias to be disarmed after taking a similar stance during WednesdayÂ’s surprise visit by the US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. During their meeting, the reclusive Sistani also offered a broad roadmap to Maliki for the formation of the new national unity government.
According to Sistani, “the first task for the government is fighting insecurity and putting an end to the terrorist acts that threaten innocents with death and kidnapping.” The cleric added that the new cabinet needed “capable and honest people who have a good reputation and care about national interests, not personal, religious or sectarian interests.” Sistani said special attention needed to be paid to fighting corruption and getting infrastructure, like water and electricity, ”back up and running.”
The revered figure, whose stature dwarfs any Shiite politician, has ventured into the political arena at critical moments since the US-led invasion ousted Saddam Hussein in 2003. His return to the Najaf in August 2004 settled a deadly confrontation between the US military and SadrÂ’s Mehdi Army. He also pressured the Americans to expedite the path to democratic elections in early 2004 and was the guiding force behind the creation of the ShiitesÂ’ powerful political coalition in parliament.
During the protracted four-month deadlock on forming a government, Sistani urged Shiite politicians to settle their differences ahead of SaturdayÂ’s breakthough of tapping Maliki for prime minister. | Sistani keeps impressing me. hope he has real good security |
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