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Allawi announces new coalition to fight for prime minister post
AP ^

Posted on 02/23/2005 7:41:05 AM PST by jmc1969

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi announced Wednesday he's forming a broad coalition to fight for the post of prime minister after Iraq's dominant Shiite political party nominated a conservative for the job.

"There are other lists and other brothers in smaller lists which won the elections, and we are working with some of those lists to form a national Iraqi democratic coalition which believes in Iraq and its principles," Allawi told a news conference.

Allawi said he considered al-Jaafari an "honorable man," but when asked if he feared that the alliance could impose Islamic rule in Iraq, Allawi said without elaboration that he opposed the creation of any form of Islamic government.

"We are liberal powers and we believe in a liberal Iraq and not an Iraq governed by political Islamists. But as a person he is an honorable man, fighter and a good brother," Allawi said.

(Excerpt) Read more at billingsgazette.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: aljaafari; allawi; election; government; iraq; iraqielection; iraqipm; secular
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1 posted on 02/23/2005 7:41:07 AM PST by jmc1969
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To: jmc1969

I'll take the devil we know in Allawi. I hope he pulls this out.


2 posted on 02/23/2005 7:49:36 AM PST by GraniteStateConservative (...He had committed no crime against America so I did not bring him here...-- Worst.President.Ever.)
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To: jmc1969

Interesting that he doesn't think that Chalabi is even a player in this.


3 posted on 02/23/2005 7:54:37 AM PST by adam_az (UN out of the US! - http://www.moveamericaforward.org/?Page=Petition)
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To: jmc1969
As long as they stick to a Constitution that espouses the virtues of a free democracy, Iraq's democratic future looks bright.
4 posted on 02/23/2005 8:04:46 AM PST by demlosers
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To: jmc1969

It's either Allawi or a guy in bed with Iran.


5 posted on 02/23/2005 8:11:16 AM PST by 1LongTimeLurker
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To: jmc1969; 1LongTimeLurker; GraniteStateConservative; adam_az
The biggest mistake made by the secular parties, e.g. the former Communists, Sharistani and the royalists, the new list formed by the former Sunni president, etc., etc..., was not coalescing into a solid, viable political bloc.

To think that any one of these parties, alone, was going to have a significant impact on the election was sheer folly.

6 posted on 02/23/2005 8:20:01 AM PST by Do not dub me shapka broham (You are reading my 6,000th post, since November.)
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To: jmc1969
HOW IRAQ VOTED
During Iraq's elections Jan. 30, 58% of eligible voters turned out to choose among 111 slates. Turnout was high in the peaceful Kurdish north and Shiite south. But voters were reluctant to go to the polls in predominantly Sunni central Iraq and in Mosul, where insurgent violence has been intense. In Anbar province, home to the insurgent strongholds of Fallujah and Ramadi, only 2% voted. The Independent Electoral Commission released turnout statistics on Tuesday for Iraq's 18 provinces:
Province Eligible voters Number of votes Turnout
Anbar 574,138 13,893 2%
Babil 694,192 507,153 73%
Baghdad 3,664, 922 1,887,010 51%
Basra 1,035,055 748,967 72%
Dahuk 429,182 396,824 92%
Diyala 624,099 206,529 33%
Erbil 795, 291 666,362 84%
Karbala 409,081 305,798 75%
Missan 417,273 255,584 61%
Muthanna 295,326 191,336 65%
Najaf 493,808 371,615 75%
Ninevah 1,197,940 203,198 17%
Salah al-Din 498,017 145,656 29%
Sulaimaniyah 914,441 750,837 82%
Tamim 576,048 403,286 70%
Thi-Qar 778,574 535,991 69%
Qadissiya 486,827 344,316 71%
Wassit 494,955 351,801 71%
Total 14,379,169 8,286,156 58%
Does not include votes from overseas.
Source: Iraqi Ministry of Trade

7 posted on 02/23/2005 8:23:46 AM PST by demlosers
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To: adam_az

I heard Chalabi bowed out.


8 posted on 02/23/2005 8:31:27 AM PST by wallcrawlr (www.bionicear.com)
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To: wallcrawlr

Only because he didn't have the votes.


9 posted on 02/23/2005 11:00:21 AM PST by mbraynard
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To: Do not dub me shapka broham
To think that any one of these parties, alone, was going to have a significant impact on the election was sheer folly.

It's a parlimentary system, so coalitions are going to predominantely be formed after elections, not before.
10 posted on 02/23/2005 11:13:49 AM PST by self_evident
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To: adam_az

Chalibi isn't done, he will be a huge player in the future. He can triangulate between the religious shia and the secular groups and be "kingmaker" on any given issue.


11 posted on 02/23/2005 11:16:31 AM PST by self_evident
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To: demlosers

Thanks, very interesting numbers. As I understand it, any group of three provinces can veto any future constitution. Anbar, Diyala, an Ninevah might as well be named Ohio, Florida, and Michigan.


12 posted on 02/23/2005 11:23:55 AM PST by self_evident
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To: demlosers

It's kind of wierd to see "Ninevah" on that list.


13 posted on 02/23/2005 1:11:30 PM PST by keats5
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To: jmc1969

He mean traditional liberals as in Republicans or "liberals" as in Christine Gregoire, Gray Davis, Rep. Tubbs, Hillary Clinton, etcetera?


14 posted on 02/23/2005 4:03:07 PM PST by Josef1235 (My blog: http://josef-a-k.blogspot.com)
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To: self_evident
Chalibi isn't done, he will be a huge player in the future. He can triangulate between the religious shia and the secular groups and be "kingmaker" on any given issue.

Chalibi is a bum - And he is simply a smoke-blower - He will wield less and less power as time moves on - Our SOF that worked with him on the ground didn't trust him a lick and those Iraqi's working with him now will trust him less and less as time goes on.

Allawi is a good man - Lets hope he stays as part of any governing body in Iraq for some time -

15 posted on 02/23/2005 5:27:41 PM PST by SevenMinusOne
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To: DevSix

"Our SOF that worked with him on the ground didn't trust him a lick and those Iraqi's working with him now will trust him less and less as time goes on."

Please post a link or URL to evidence of this.


16 posted on 02/23/2005 6:05:51 PM PST by mjaneangels@aolcom
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To: adam_az
I heard he is referred to as a "cleric in a suit." He's VERY much wanting to turn Iraq into an Islamic country. That will start a civil war.
17 posted on 02/23/2005 11:51:38 PM PST by NRA2BFree (Guns don't kill people, drivers with cell phones do. ;-)
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To: DevSix; Fedora

OUCH! Don't you just hate it when people keep asking you to support your allegations?


18 posted on 02/25/2005 12:05:21 AM PST by piasa (Attitude Adjustments Offered Here Free of Charge)
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To: keats5
It's kind of wierd to see "Ninevah" on that list.
That caught my eye, too. It made me wonder about the Babil province and a possible connection to the most famous tower in history.
Also: I was under the impression Abram was a Chaldean by ethnicity. Chaldeans are not Semitic people so why would Hebrews be considered Semitic?
19 posted on 02/25/2005 6:15:28 AM PST by olde north church (Powerful is the hand that holds the keys to Heaven.)
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To: mjaneangels@aolcom; piasa
Please post a link or URL to evidence of this. I have have a good friend that was on the ground with an SOF (ODA) team just outside of Nasiriya early on in the invasion. It wasn't his team but two others that worked with Chalabi that said he was not to be trusted (and in many ways was trying to undercut our efforts immediately upon hitting the ground within Iraq).

For an "on the record" account of this go read Masters of Chaos (a very good read) - Both Major John Burns as well as Major Randy Wurst (for the record, these are two men who have more awards and have done more for our Country than just about anyone currently serving - they performed some of the most hostile operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan).

Both these men say Chalabi is a snake - (along with another half-dozen who are not named within the book).

The book also gives further details as to Mr Chalabi's looting and more -

Piasa - You have already been shown a fool in other threads with your complete lack of any knowledge when it comes to Mr. Chalabi and more so the role of SOF with Iraq. You should really stop trying to comment on subjects you know little to nothing about. You have shown that on a variety of threads.

20 posted on 02/25/2005 12:18:30 PM PST by SevenMinusOne
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