Call for Shiite autonomy as Iraqi tribal chiefs meet (? "unity" US backed

[rodeodance]

government??)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060826/ts_afp/iraq_060826112717

Call for Shiite autonomy as Iraqi tribal chiefs meet

by Kamal Taha 2 hours, 2 minutes ago

BAGHDAD (AFP) - A powerful Iraqi politician called for the Shiite south of the country to become an autonomous region as the embattled prime minister called on tribal leaders to work together for peace.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki warned a gathering of tribal sheikhs from across the war-torn country that Iraq would not be free from foreign occupation until its rival sects and ethnic groups agreed to live together.

At the same time Saturday one of Iraq's most influential politicians called for the vast and oil-rich Shiite region south of the capital to become a self-governing area stretching from the holy city of Najaf to the port of Basra.

Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), said a referendum should be called in the region to endorse a breakaway, an idea which is fiercely opposed by Sunni leaders.


Hakim's statement came as Maliki welcomed hundreds of hereditary chieftains -- the leaders of clans and tribes to which all Iraqis owe varying degrees of allegiance -- to talks in Baghdad aimed at halting a surge in violence.

[acmavm]

1. This would be funny if it weren't so damn horrible. The final destruction

to their plans. A Shi'ite controlled autonomous 'nation' carved out of the country that the BFEE attacked in order to gain control of their oil assets. The Shi'ite leave and take their oil fields with them.

Oh my goodness. This is just soooooooo ironic.

And everything that the bush** administration said that they would not tolerate happening has happened so far. This is just the next step.

[Barrett808]

2. Iraq tribal chiefs sign 'pact of honor' (to support Maliki plan)

Iraq tribal chiefs sign 'pact of honor'
By VIJAY JOSHI, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Hundreds of Iraq's tribal chiefs Saturday signed a "pact of honor," pledging to support the prime minister's national reconciliation plan on wiping out sectarian strife and terrorism tearing the country.

In another boost for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's efforts, a Sunni lawmaker was released nearly two months after she was abducted in an attack that had stoked sectarian tensions and led to a boycott by the minority in parliament.

At least 23 people were killed Saturday, including four members of a Shiite family in Baqouba and a female translator working for the British consulate in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city.

"Realizing the gravity of the situation our country is undergoing, we pledge in front of God and the Iraqi people to be sincere and serious in preserving the unity of our country," said the pact signed by tribal leaders and sheiks at a national conference.

The chiefs also pledged to "work hard to stop the bloodletting and ... sectarian killings that have nothing to do with our values." A representative read out the agreement, which he described as a "pact of honor," on live television.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060826/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[knowbody0]

3. Kool!

It's over. Time to bring home the troops.

[rodeodance]

4. today?

[angstlessk]

5. No, Monday, during regular business hours, silly. n/t