Maliki Takes Steps to Ease Political, Social Divisions in Iraq
Following months of protests in Sunni-majority regions of Iraq, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has finally agreed to take steps to mitigate the crisis and listen to protesters’ demands, writes Mushreq Abbas.
In the course of just one day, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki finally opened the doors to resolve Iraq’s political crisis, which has persisted for several months. This is by largely responding to the demands of Sunni demonstrators on the one hand, and by accepting the terms of the Sadrist movement — led by Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr — for the return of his ministers to the government.
The meeting on Tuesday [March 26] of Iraq’s council of ministers was particularly significant, as Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq announced that the council had agreed to all of the demands raised by demonstrators in the provinces of Anbar, Mosul, Saladin and Diyala. Most of these demands have to do with amending arrest procedures, secret informants, amnesty for prisoners, the release of female detainees, de-Baathification and preparing for direct negotiations with a delegation representing the protesters.
Mutlaq announced that “the council of ministers decided to abolish the secret informant [post] and the law on seizing the funds [of Baath members], and to extend special amnesty to release prisoners arrested under this law.” Despite the Iraqiya List’s decision to boycott the cabinet’s sessions, Mutlaq was accompanied by three ministers from the list, which has 88 seats in Parliament.
He explained that “it was agreed that the five-part committee would continue its work, in order to thoroughly address the accountability and justice law and general amnesty law over three days.”
