The bloc of Muqtada al-Sadr made sure that its return to the parliament not be interpreted as a signal of approval of al-Maliki’s government. The bloc’s spokesman, Baha' al-‘A'raji, said that special committees will be formed in the parliament to follow on the government’s fulfillment of its promises. “ (We use the parliament as a guarantor) because of the previous failed experiments with the government and its frequent breaking of promises and commitments,” al-‘A'raji clarified.
The “promises” mentioned by ‘A'raji are not of strategic importance: they include the government’s commitment to rebuild and protect the Shi'a shrines in Samarra, and a vague promise by the government “to enhance its performance,” according to ‘A'raji. But the symbolic banner of Samarra has been used by the Sadrist as a rallying cry to express public frustration against the current cabinet.
In parallel, Az-Zaman and al-Jazeera reported, the Sadrist Current organized a demonstration in downtown Baghdad protesting the government and its leadership. Protestors demanded better public services, and accused the government of not doing enough to protect citizens.
Pan-Arab al-Sharq al-Awsat commented on the Sadrist return and predicted, along with other media outlets, a similar move in the near future by the Sunni “Accord” front. The Sunni and Sadrist boycott had practically paralyzed the Iraqi parliament, whose remaining members could not gather enough MPs to fulfill the quorum.
The newspaper implied that the return of the Sadrists –and possibly the “Accord” front- is partly due to American “efforts” spent on creating better relations between the various Iraqi parties. The US diplomacy, al-Sharq al-Awsat added, aims at enabling the parliament to resume its legislative role in order to discuss and promulgate “important laws” in the near future.
Sadrists however, remain opposed to the Oil and Gas law, whose passing has become a major objective for Nuri al-Maliki. Further opposition to the law was expressed through a letter addressed to the parliament by “100 Iraqi oil experts” who urged MPs to “study the law ... and rectify its flaws.” The letter also stated that the newest rendition of the law “is better on the linguistic level,” but “retains the same essence” as the previous document.
Az-Zaman published a front-page report on the neighborhood of al-‘Amiriya in Western Baghdad. ‘Amiriya used to be regarded as a relatively affluent, middle class district; but with the massive migration of skilled Iraqis, in addition to the displacement of families for security reasons, the district became one of the hotbeds of al-Qa'ida activities and one of the most conservative zones in the city. Recently, however, al-Qa'ida’s influence decreased due to a recent confrontation between the Islamic Army and the extremist organization on one hand, and increased US/Iraqi government incursions on the other.
Residents of 'Amiriya said that snipers belonging to the Army and the internal security forces have occupied the rooftops of tall buildings and are in control of the major crossroads in the neighborhood. But the same residents expressed fears that the government may withdraw again and leave the district prey to the activities of armed groups. In that same vein, residents are reluctant to interact with government forces in fear of a future retaliation in case the balance of power in 'Amiriya shifts in favor of militias once more.
Lastly, Az-Zaman reported that the Turkish army has increased its bombardment of Northern Iraq, and that many villages located near the Turkish-Iraqi borders were subjected to artillery attacks.
The bombardment has caused “the burning of large areas of mountain forests,” Az-Zaman said, adding that this latest escalation could be a prelude for Turkish incursions into Iraqi Kurdistan. Turkey demands that the Kurdistan government bans the activities of the Turkish-Kurdish PKK, which still wages a low-intensity conflict against the Turkish government in the Eastern provinces of Turkey.
