Thursday, March 28, 2024

Baghdad

Ex-premier says Political Council for National Security “fragile”

BAGHDAD, Sept. 21 – The head of the Iraqi National List (INL), Iyad Allawi, on Sunday said that it is reconsidering its affiliation with the “fragile” Political Council for National Security. “We are currently discussing the usefulness of our remaining in the Political Council for National Security, which has become fragile and lost its competences,” Allawi, who is also a former prime minister, said during a press conference held at the Baghdad-based Conference’s Palace. “It is no longer recognized by the government or the Parliament, and its meetings have become sporadic…,” Allawi added. “It was the Iraqi National List’s idea to set up a political council for national security with the aim of facilitating the decision-reaching process…The project has been foiled with the establishment of a large council that includes a large number of members, although it was intended to be small,” Allawi explained. The former premier stressed the need for a political reform in the country, criticizing the four-way alliance, which encompasses the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC), al-Daawa Party and the two main Kurdish parties, for its failure to create a suitable atmosphere for political and security stability. In August 2007, the SIIC, the Daawa Party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) signed a quadripartite agreement in Arbil city to “rectify” the political process in the country.   Commenting on the security agreement that is scheduled to take place between the U.S. administration and the Iraqi government, Allawi said that his list would accept any agreement that preserves Iraq’s full sovereignty. A declaration of principles was signed between U.S. President George W. Bush and the Iraqi premier in December 2007. The declaration was scheduled to be ratified on July 31, 2008 and to come into force as of January 1, 2009. The agreement governs the presence of U.S. forces in the country after 2008 and will not come into force without the approval of the Iraqi Parliament, which has 275 members from five blocs, in addition to the Sadrist movement and al-Fadhila party. The U.S. troops’ presence currently relies on a mandate by the United Nations and is annually renewed at the request of the Iraqi government.

Leave a Reply