Saturday, July 17, 2010

Iraqi cleric Sadr visits Syria from exile in Iran (different source) ...


Hmmm ... interesting remark from this article ~ "Initially Sadr was opposed to the return of Maliki as prime minister but in May he said he removed his objection under certain conditions"

and those conditions were ...

snip ~ Maliki gets Sadr nod as rival warns of civil war ... A spokesman for radical, anti-US cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said the movement would drop a veto against Maliki seeking a new term as premier as long as he met its condition that around 2,000 Sadrist prisoners be freed.

Another view, as far as Syria goes, Iraqi Pro-Baathist-Exiles living in Syria ~ Plot the Fall of Maliki from Damascus, Syria ...

and remember .. Muqtada al-Sadr is positioning himself as kingmaker ...

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July 17, 2010

Iraqi cleric Sadr visits Syria from exile in Iran

Self-exiled Iraqi radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr visited Damascus on Saturday from his base in Iran for talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Iraqi affairs.

During the meeting, Assad urged Iraqi leaders to quickly form a government and put an end to a four-month coalition stalemate, the official SANA news agency reported.

"Any delay to form a (national unity) government will have a negative impact on the situation in Iraq," Assad was quoted as telling his guest, stressing that a new cabinet should be set up "as soon as possible."

Iraqi politicians have failed to form a new government since former premier Iyad Allawi's narrow victory over incumbent Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in the March 7 parliamentary polls.

The bloc of anti-US cleric Sadr, who is rarely seen in public and who lives in self-imposed exile in Iran, gained 39 seats in the new 325-strong parliament, against 91 for Allawi and 89 for Maliki -- both Shiite Muslims.

Initially Sadr was opposed to the return of Maliki as prime minister but in May he said he removed his objection under certain conditions.

SANA quoted Sadr as praising Syria for its support of the Iraqi people and "for working in favour of security and stability in Iraq."

Hazem al-Araji, a Sadr bloc MP, told AFP in Baghdad that the cleric travelled to Damascus "at the official invitation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to discuss Iraqi affairs."

Sadr's visit to Syria -- his second since July last year -- comes after Iraqi legislators on Monday extended an inaugural parliamentary session by two weeks to give political leaders a chance to form a government.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100717/twl-iraqi-cleric-sadr-visits-syria-from-3cd7efd.html

Maliki gets Sadr nod as rival warns of civil war ...

Iraqi courts release 14 Sadrist detainees ...

Mehdi Army regrouping in Iraq?

Sadr reforms Mehdi Army amid Iraqi crisis ...

Muqtada al Sadr reshapes Iraqi politics ... Who will get his vote?

Muqtada al-Sadr is positioning himself as kingmaker ...

No meetings with Dawlat al-Qanoon without response to message – Sadrist ...