Topic: Sunni tribes urge insurgent unity in Iraq oil province

Media: AFP
Byline: n/a
Date: 16 October 2006

HINDIYA - Sunni Arab tribal leaders in the oil rich province around Kirkuk
in northern Iraq met to call for unity in insurgent ranks and the
liberation of deposed leader Saddam Hussein.

The meeting of 500 tribal chiefs and representatives took place in Hindiya,
25 kilometers (15 miles) west of Kirkuk on Sunday and featured
self-declared leaders of Saddam's former ruling Baath party.

"This gathering is to unify the Arab tribes in the face of the occupation
and its agents and to struggle against those who would divide the Iraqi
people," said Abu Bassem, who said he was a leader in the Baath party.

He accused extremist Sunni groups of targeting tribal members and causing
divisions in the anti-US insurgency, but did not say if the tribes would be
moving against groups like Al-Qaeda, the way the tribes in Anbar province
have.

Supporters waved portraits of Saddam and called for his release, calling
him the "legitimate" president of the country and a "mujahid" or fighter.

The tribal leaders reaffirmed their allegiance to Saddam and called for the
departure of US forces

They also demanded that Iraq remain united, specifically rejecting the
federalism project which seeks to divide the country into autonomous
regions.