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03/03/2006:

"Iraq: Sunnis, Kurds unite to oppose Shiite premier"

BAGHDAD - A political conflict threatened to further exacerbate Iraq's sectarian and ethnic divisions Thursday as Kurdish and Sunni Arab leaders issued a letter demanding that the leading Shiite Muslim coalition withdraw its nomination of interim Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari to head the next government.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to avert attacks today, during the Muslim day of prayer, the government announced a one-day ban on private vehicles in Baghdad and its outskirts. The police and army were instructed to seal off the capital and seize any private vehicles on the roads between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m.

"We had many conflicts with the past government, and for it to continue for the next four years is just unacceptable to us," said Faraj Haidary of the Kurdish Alliance, which has persuaded other political blocs to sign off on the formal letter delivered Thursday.

Politicians with the leading Shiite United Iraqi Alliance, which holds a plurality of seats in the new parliament, warned that efforts to form a "national unity" government, a major U.S. goal, might collapse if the Kurds and Sunnis don't back down.

"Jaafari is the nominee, and the UIA will not be provoked in this way," said Fadhil Shara, a representative of Shiite radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

The political maneuvering followed a spasm of sectarian clashes that left hundreds dead in the past week. The bloodshed continued Thursday, with police reporting that more than 30 people were killed in attacks across the country.
startribune.com


Militia says will defend Baghdad's Sadr city
BAGHDAD, March 2 (Reuters) - Militias loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr will take a key defence role in Baghdad's Sadr City, a Sadr official said, after a blast in a minibus killed five people there on Thursday.

"Today, the terrorists have targeted Sadr City because it has a Shi'ite majority which tells that the extremists want to fight Shi'ites wherever they are," Hazim Araji told Reuters.

"We are going to coordinate with Iraqi army and police but the Mehdi Army is going to have a key role providing protection."

Police said eight people were also wounded in the blast in Sadr City. Such attacks have been rare inside the slum area, a stronghold of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has promoted solidarity with Sunni Arab insurgents.

Sadr, a youthful nationalist with a following among poor Shi'ites, led two uprisings against U.S. forces in 2004 and has maintained ties with Sunni rebels. But many Sunnis blame his Mehdi Army militia for attacks on Sunni mosques this past week.


Robert Fisk: Somebody is trying to provoke a civil war in Iraq.
The real question I ask myself is: who are these people who are trying to provoke the civil war? Now the Americans will say it's Al Qaeda, it's the Sunni insurgents. It is the death squads. Many of the death squads work for the Ministry of Interior. Who runs the Ministry of Interior in Baghdad? Who pays the Ministry of the Interior? Who pays the militia men who make up the death squads? We do, the occupation authorities.