Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
LONDON, Dec 15 (AFP) - If Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari's United
Iraqi Alliance wins the country's election there will be a role for
supporters of radical cleric Moqtada Sadr, he indicated Thursday in an
interview with BBC television.
Sadr's supporters who serve in Iraq's current parliament and government
"fulfill their role well from a political point of view", Jaafari told BBC's
Newsnight program when asked if Sadr backers might join a new government.
"I believe they are a plus," Jaafari said. "When all the politicians take up
their pen to write or share in the government, there is nothing that risks
them substituting the pen for the gun."
Jaafari's Shiite Muslim UIA includes the Dawa Party, the powerful Supreme
Council for the Islamic Revolution and followers of Sadr, behind last year's
uprising in the southern holy city of Najaf.
More than 15.5 million Iraqis were called to the polls Thursday to elect the
275 members of parliament who will in turn choose the president.
Jaafari predicted forming a government would take less than the three months
it took to install his interim regime earlier this year, because Iraqis now
had more experience of democracy, with a constitution and parliament in
place.
Though he agreed that any delays could be exploited by insurgents, he said
that as a new government takes shape and sets up the instruments of power,
"the more it will reduce the chances of terrorist activity."
Jaafari was reluctant to speculate on how quickly a timetable for the
departure of US-led coalition forces could be set, reiterating that it
depended on how quickly Iraqi security forces could take over.
"The Iraqi armed forces -- whether the police or army themselves -- will
define the timetable for withdrawal. In some areas they do not need the
coalition forces anymore," he said.
"We hope the remaining period to complete the timetable covering the needs
of the various remaining areas will be short, that they will be able to
dispense with the coalition forces entirely and that they will leave Iraq
when the newly elected government asks them to."
Iraqi Alliance wins the country's election there will be a role for
supporters of radical cleric Moqtada Sadr, he indicated Thursday in an
interview with BBC television.
Sadr's supporters who serve in Iraq's current parliament and government
"fulfill their role well from a political point of view", Jaafari told BBC's
Newsnight program when asked if Sadr backers might join a new government.
"I believe they are a plus," Jaafari said. "When all the politicians take up
their pen to write or share in the government, there is nothing that risks
them substituting the pen for the gun."
Jaafari's Shiite Muslim UIA includes the Dawa Party, the powerful Supreme
Council for the Islamic Revolution and followers of Sadr, behind last year's
uprising in the southern holy city of Najaf.
More than 15.5 million Iraqis were called to the polls Thursday to elect the
275 members of parliament who will in turn choose the president.
Jaafari predicted forming a government would take less than the three months
it took to install his interim regime earlier this year, because Iraqis now
had more experience of democracy, with a constitution and parliament in
place.
Though he agreed that any delays could be exploited by insurgents, he said
that as a new government takes shape and sets up the instruments of power,
"the more it will reduce the chances of terrorist activity."
Jaafari was reluctant to speculate on how quickly a timetable for the
departure of US-led coalition forces could be set, reiterating that it
depended on how quickly Iraqi security forces could take over.
"The Iraqi armed forces -- whether the police or army themselves -- will
define the timetable for withdrawal. In some areas they do not need the
coalition forces anymore," he said.
"We hope the remaining period to complete the timetable covering the needs
of the various remaining areas will be short, that they will be able to
dispense with the coalition forces entirely and that they will leave Iraq
when the newly elected government asks them to."