Al-'Arabiya relayed the latest round of attacks between the IAF and the government. 'Adnan al-Dulaimi, one of the major Sunni leaders in Iraq had told the press that the 11 demands made by his coalition - as a condition for remaining in the government - were intended to “show the international community and the Arab World” that Nuri al-Maliki’s government is “a sectarian government that has monopolized power and excluded other parties from participating in political decision-making.”
In parallel with al-Dulaimi’s attacks, another IAF leader, Iyad al-Samirra'i, accused al-Maliki of being responsible for “the failure of the political process in Iraq,” Al-Jazeera said that the IAF had coupled its “ultimatium” to Nuri al-Maliki with the threat of “going beyond the act of withdrawing (the IAF ministers) from the government.”
The cabinet was quick to respond. Al-'Arabiya reported that the government spokesman, 'Ali al-Dabbagh made a strong statement in which he denounced the “language of threats and blackmail,” adding that such tactics “will produce no results.”
Al-Dabbagh said that the IAF statement “goes in tandem with its policy,” which, he claimed, “aims to undermine the political process and prevent it from going forward.” The government’s spokesman also made some threats of his own, reminding the IAF (and perhaps, Sunni public opinion in general) that the supporters of the government will not sit by idly while the cabinet is in threat. Al-Dabbagh said that “the millions who went to the ballot boxes defying terrorism and terrorists ... will not stay in their homes and watch.”
On the same front, the Lebanese al-Akhbar newspaper said that the leader of the Shi'a Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, 'Abdel 'Azeez al-Hakeem, proposed a meeting between the ruling Shi'a coalition and the IAF in order to mend the dispute between the cabinet and the largest Sunni coalition.
The paper also said that ex-Prime Minister Iyad 'Allawi expressed his support for the IAF in its stance against the current government.
Al-Sharq Al-Awsat spoke to Iyad 'Allawi who commented on the latest political crises in Iraq. 'Allawi confirmed reports that Iran had required his exclusion from a Baghdad conference that was expected to group the leaders of major political parties.
'Allawi said that during the Sharm al-Sheikh summit, Iran presented “an official document” summing up its position on Iraq; 'Allawi claimed that among Iran’s “conditions” was the request that he be excluded from the Prime Ministership in the future.
Lastly, al-Hayat quoted a Kurdish politician as saying that the Iraqi government is being pressured to pass the controversial oil and gas law for the sake of “American economic interests.” Nuri al-Talabani, a Kurdish MP, told the Kurdish media that the law, in its current form, is “riddled with imperfections.”
Talabani also said that “the US did not send its army into Iraq ... for the sake of the Iraqi people ... it has interests in the region, the US wants its companies to have a role in the extraction of oil ... and the oil law will allow this to happen, therefore, they are in hurry to pass it.”
