Sadr, Coordination Framework in Iraq May Collapse at Any Moment

Iraqi protesters chant anti-government slogans and carry the Iraqi national flag during a protest near the Supreme Judicial Council building in central Baghdad, Iraq on 02 September 2022. (EPA)
Iraqi protesters chant anti-government slogans and carry the Iraqi national flag during a protest near the Supreme Judicial Council building in central Baghdad, Iraq on 02 September 2022. (EPA)
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Sadr, Coordination Framework in Iraq May Collapse at Any Moment

Iraqi protesters chant anti-government slogans and carry the Iraqi national flag during a protest near the Supreme Judicial Council building in central Baghdad, Iraq on 02 September 2022. (EPA)
Iraqi protesters chant anti-government slogans and carry the Iraqi national flag during a protest near the Supreme Judicial Council building in central Baghdad, Iraq on 02 September 2022. (EPA)

Calm prevailed in Baghdad for a fourth consecutive day following the bloody clashes between the Shiite Sadrist movement and Asaib Ahl al-Haq that swept the Iraqi capital.

A fragile unwritten truce has largely been holding between the movement, of influential cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, and the pro-Iran Coordination Framework, of which the Asaib are a part of.

The calm has not prevented the rivals from trading accusations over the unrest and political impasse.

Sadr’s “minister”, Saleh Mohammed al-Iraqi demanded caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to dismiss the leader of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Faleh al-Fayyad.

The PM did not respond to the request. His role as a caretaker bars him from fulfilling such a demand.

On Thursday, four militants were killed in reprisal attacks between the Sadrists and Asaib in the southern city of Basra. Two militiamen from Sadr's group Saraya al-Salam and two from the Asaib were killed.

Asaib leader, Qais Khazali later instructed his group to close their offices until further notice.

The United Nations Security Council on Friday expressed its alarm at the violence, acknowledging the government’s efforts to restore order.

It called for calm and restraint, welcoming statements from various parties that called against more violence.

It urged the parties to resolve their political disputes peacefully and to respect the rule of law.

Aide to Kadhimi, Dr. Hussein Allawi told Asharq Al-Awsat the PM played a “major role” in managing the crisis in order to preserve peace and stability and encourage political leaderships to support the government and prioritize national interests over partisan one.

Moreover, he noted that the orders of the army commander to the troops and commitment of the military and security forces to these orders helped maintain the peace.

He said the security forces’ constant contact with the political leaderships and constant communication with the PM allowed everyone to address the crisis faster than expected, leading to the containment of the clashes within 24 hours.

He urged the need for important initiatives to be proposed, similar to the national dialogue brought forward by Kadhimi.

The first round of the talks was a success, Allawi remarked, urging more talks with political leaderships.



Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Resolution 1701 Only Tangible Proposal to End Lebanon Conflict

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut. (AFP file)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut. (AFP file)
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Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Resolution 1701 Only Tangible Proposal to End Lebanon Conflict

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut. (AFP file)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut. (AFP file)

Politicians in Beirut said they have not received any credible information about Washington resuming its mediation efforts towards reaching a ceasefire in Lebanon despite reports to the contrary.

Efforts came to a halt after US envoy Amos Hochstein’s last visit to Beirut three weeks ago.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri dismissed the reports as media fodder, saying nothing official has been received.

Lebanon is awaiting tangible proposals on which it can build its position, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The only credible proposal on the table is United Nations Security Council resolution 1701, whose articles must be implemented in full by Lebanon and Israel, “not just Lebanon alone,” he stressed.

Resolution 1701 was issued to end the 2006 July war between Hezbollah and Israel and calls for removing all weapons from southern Lebanon and that the only armed presence there be restricted to the army and UN peacekeepers.

Western diplomatic sources in Beirut told Asharq Al-Awsat that Berri opposes one of the most important articles of the proposed solution to end the current conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

He is opposed to the German and British participation in the proposed mechanism to monitor the implementation of resolution 1701. The other participants are the United States and France.

Other sources said Berri is opposed to the mechanism itself since one is already available and it is embodied in the UN peacekeepers, whom the US and France can join.

The sources revealed that the solution to the conflict has a foreign and internal aspect. The foreign one includes Israel, the US and Russia and seeks guarantees that would prevent Hezbollah from rearming itself. The second covers Lebanese guarantees on the implementation of resolution 1701.

Berri refused to comment on the media reports, but told Asharq Al-Awsat that this was the first time that discussions are being held about guarantees.

He added that “Israel is now in crisis because it has failed to achieve its military objectives, so it has resorted to more killing and destruction undeterred.”

He highlighted the “steadfastness of the UN peacekeepers in the South who have refused to leave their positions despite the repeated Israeli attacks.”