Sunni Arab Bloc Quits Iraqi Government

Guardian Unlimited ^ | August 1, 2007 | QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA

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BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq's largest Sunni Arab political bloc announced its withdrawal from the government Wednesday, undermining Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's efforts to seek reconciliation among the country's rival factions.

Violence continued unabated, with 17 civilians killed in a car bomb in central Baghdad and the U.S. military announcing the deaths of three American soldiers killed by a sophisticated, armor-piercing bomb.

Rafaa al-Issawi, a leading member of the Front, said at a news conference in the capital that the bloc's six Cabinet ministers would submit their resignations later in the day.

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Good or bad thing?

[dfwgator]

So much for national unity after the soccer team’s big win.

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Didn’t last long, did it.

[Uncle Ike]

” Good or bad thing? “

Sourced to “Guardian” — we’re not getting anything even closely appproximating truth.....

Beyond ‘spin’, I’d call this normal parliamentary maneuvering, pending further - and less biased - information.....

[Brilliant]

Again? How many times are these guys going to quit?

[pissant]

Coming from a Guradian stringer, it’s hard to tell

[Ancient Drive]

I agree. the sunni block knows us better than we know ourselves. Political maneuvering ala Reid.

[crazyhorse691]

Why should the Sunnis participate in a government that the media and the Rats have abandoned/never supported? Says more about our politics.

[SolidWood]

That depends on the follow up.

There have been talks for long about a new government coalition of the Sunni bloc, the Kurds, the seculars and certain shia factions.

There is a chance for a better coalition than the current Maliki government. However there is also a chance for a equally or more instable cabinet aswell.

[tobyhill]

Maliki is hell bent on making Iraq a subsidiary of Iran. I don’t think the Sunni’s demand of disarming Shiite militias is too much to ask.

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Beyond ‘spin’, I’d call this normal parliamentary maneuvering, pending further - and less biased - information.....

If they tend their resignations today, we'll know.

[taxcontrol]

In any war, the victor must change popular perception of state actors so that the desired outcome is achieved. In the case of Iraq, the desire is to have a national identity over a religious identity. There is also the need for vengeance to placate those that grieve or those that suffered at the other parties hands.

These two factors lead me to believe that not enough blood has been shed in the Iraq war. Neither side has said “enough, no more, we give up.” Until that time, I’m afraid that no unity will be possible.

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Again? How many times are these guys going to quit?

That question has sheehan written all over it.

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Agree. I couldn’t tell if it was good or bad. lol

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These two factors lead me to believe that not enough blood has been shed in the Iraq war. Neither side has said “enough, no more, we give up.” Until that time, I’m afraid that no unity will be possible.

I'm afraid I don't see that happening in the near future either. Blood lust appears to be mothers milk to them.

[null and void]

We should have killed their leaders and broken the countries (Iraq and Afghanistan) along ethnic lines, and then set the ethnic groups at each other's throats.

The take home message is you F with us, you personally, will die, and your country will simply cease to exist.

With a little special side thank you of a hostile Kurdistan on its border for Turkey to acknowledge their help in not allowing us to stage through their country...

[Uncle Ike]

” Neither side has said “enough, no more, we give up.” “

And they never will, as long as Western Strategic ‘thinkers’ remain unable to differentiate ‘war’ from ‘T-ball’.....

(And the suffering will be immensely worse, for it...)

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I agree 100% with your entire post.

With a little special side thank you of a hostile Kurdistan on its border for Turkey to acknowledge their help in not allowing us to stage through their country...

I'll never forget that either. I try not to get into what if's, but that's a what if worth rolling over in your mind, and I do that quiet a bit.

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And they never will, as long as Western Strategic ‘thinkers’ remain unable to differentiate ‘war’ from ‘T-ball’....

They won't be able to do that until it's their lives on the line. Then they'll smell the coffee. Let's just hope it's not too late for the rest of us.

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Why should the Sunnis participate in a government that the media and the Rats have abandoned/never supported? Says more about our politics.

Excellent point, why should they. However, if it were my country, I'd fight tooth and nail to hang onto my country that others died to free.