Iraq Protesters Call for Unity Government

[cal04]

More than 10,000 people marched through Baghdad on Tuesday in support of a national unity government of Sunnis and Shiites, while in the south of Iraq, municipal workers found remains believed to be from a mass grave dating to
Saddam Hussein's rule.

The new violence came as three opposition groups threatened a wave of protests and civil disobedience if fraud charges are not properly investigated. The warning came from the secular Iraqi National List, headed by former Shiite Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, and two Sunni Arab groups.

More than 10,000 people, some carrying photos of Allawi, demonstrated Tuesday in favor of a government that would give more power to Sunni Arabs and secular Shiites. Marches chanted "No Sunnis, no Shiites, yes for national unity."

"We're protesting to reject the elections fraud. We want to ask the government and the elections commission: 'Where did our votes go? Who stole them?'" said Abdul Hamid Abdul Razza, a 45-year-old barber.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051227/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[Adelante]

1. Iraqis have a best case scenario now, at least

Good news, if it works.

The Shiite alliance has been making contacts with other groups, including Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties, in an effort to create a governing coalition when final results are relased in early January.

Alliance leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim traveled to the northern Kurdish city of Irbil to discuss the formation of a "national unity" government with Jalal Talabani, Iraq's Kurdish president, and Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish region. Al-Hakim was accompanied by a seven-member committee that has been formed by the Shiite religious group to negotiate the makeup of a new Cabinet, said alliance official Ridha Jawad Taqi.

"Negotiations will take place in Kurdistan between the seven-member committee of the Alliance and the Kurdish coalition. They intend to negotiate the forming of the new government. The Kurdish coalition took the initiative of asking for these negotiations," al-Hakim secretary Haitham al-Husseini said by phone.

AL-Husseini added that "there will be more negotiations with the Sunni Arabs who might go there too. The Alliance has a primary proposal of 12 sovereignty posts to be distributed between the political blocs that will unite to form a national unity government of Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis." Sovereignty posts are a reference to the top six Cabinet positions, the three-member presidency council and top three parliament slots.