Many observers see the announcement of the coalition as a prelude to a new cabinet that will be formed exclusively by the Shi'a-Kurdish coalition. The creation of the front also signals that negotiations between Maliki and his opponents have reached an impasse. Meanwhile, Talabani insists, according to Az-Zaman, that the new front “is not a coalition, but an agreement,” adding that it remains open to any parties that wish to join.
According to al-Hayat, the constituents of the new coalition can muster – combined – 110 MPs in the Iraqi parliament (out of 275), which means that, theoretically, the alliance may be capable of securing a majority in the House of Representatives with enough support from independents and minor parties. On the other hand, the paper added, the new coalition is small enough as to encourage “counter-alliances” by the parties that will be left out of the “moderates’” cabinet.
Several Arab papers highlighted the lack of a Sunni constituent in the new front. Government sources had claimed, as recently as yesterday, that the Islamic Party (which controls the second largest Sunni bloc in the parliament) may join the new coalition, but negotiations with the party leader, Tariq al-Hashimi, broke down in the final hours.
To accentuate the absence of Sunni representation in the new coalition, several Arab papers are referring to it as “the Shi'a-Kurdish alliance,” a term that may be as inaccurate as the “moderate” label that the leaders of the front are trying to promote.
The “Front” may lack Sunni allies, but it also excludes major Shi'a parties, namely the Sadr Current and Fadhila, which are at least as popular as the parties of Hakeem and Maliki.
The “Front” also excluded non-sectarian parties - which are admittedly few and of limited popularity – a fact that its enemies are exploiting to portray the new coalition as a sectarian front. According to Az-Zaman, Iyad 'Allawi dubbed the participants in the new coalition as “the princes of sects,” and said that his party, the Iraqi List, was not invited to the negotiations because of its “secular” character.
Pro-Government al-Mada tried to portray the new Front under the best possible light, claiming in its headline that the front aims at “supporting the government and energizing the political situation” in the country. The paper also tried to minimize the effect of the absence of the Sunni Islamic Party from the coalition, highlighting a congratulatory telegram that was sent by Hashimi to Talabani and avoiding to report the criticisms directed at the new coalition by Hashimi’s party.
Az-Zaman, on the other hand, devoted its front page to displaying the attacks directed at the new front. According to the paper, officials in 'Allawi’s bloc described the Front as being led by “sectarians and racists, with Iranian sponsorship, against the national project.”
Furthermore, Pan-Arab al-Quds al-'Arabi (which often panders to the Sunni Arab public) headlined that the new front “edifies the exclusion of Sunnis.”
In other new, al-Hayat reported that the Sunni Iraqi Accord Front (IAF) has achieved “a new success” in drawing Sunni clans to its side, especially after the Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki tried to lure Sunni tribes by offering them the ministerial seats that were held by the IAF (which recently withdrew its ministers from Maliki’s cabinet.)
According to the Pan-Arab London-based newspaper, a major meeting was held in Anbar, joining representatives from the IAF with tribal leaders. The conferees agreed to disband the pro-government “Council for the Salvation of Anbar” and sack some of its leaders, chiefly those who negotiated with Maliki and made disparaging remarks against the IAF last week. The leader of the Council (now renamed “the awakening of Iraq”) affirmed that his organization rejects any participation in the government under the current conditions.
Al-Hayat said that Ba'this and representatives of insurgent factions, as well as officials from the ministries of interior and defense, were also present in the meeting.
