Talabani warns of 'dictators return'
February
8, 2010
BAGHDAD, —
Hundreds of protesters denounced Iraqis still loyal
to Saddam Hussein's Baath Party on Sunday as
tensions soared over the decision to blacklist
suspected Baathists from next month's election.
Protesters chanted and carried signs that said, "No,
No to Baath Party!" and "The return of the Baath
Party is a return to mass graves."
Shiite officials, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
and his political allies, are trying to purge all
high-level posts of Iraqis with ties to the Baath
party, which was outlawed in Iraq in 2003. |
Hundreds of protesters denounced Iraqis still loyal
to Saddam Hussein's Baath Party on Sunday. AP photo |
|
A decision to ban about 450 candidates from March 7
parliamentary elections because of suspected ties to
Saddam's regime has threatened to reopen wounds
between once-dominant Sunnis and the Shiite
majority.
The ban is widely seen as targeting Sunnis, though
Shiites are on the blacklist as well.
Some Sunni leaders have threatened to boycott the
election if the purge stands. That, in turn, risks
throwing the election into chaos and would raise
questions about its credibility.
Parliament met briefly Sunday but did not take
action on the ban, which was suspended by an appeals
court. Lawmakers are expected to meet again Monday
as a panel of judges combs through the list.
Ali Al-Lami, executive director of a vetting panel
that initially purged suspected Baathists from the
ballot said that a judicial appeals court ruled
Sunday to uphold the ban in 26 cases so far. None of
the cases were of high profile candidates.
Sunnis, who led the country under Saddam, boycotted
a critical first nationwide vote in January 2005,
resulting in a Shiite-dominated government.
Resentment over that loss contributed to the
country's deadly insurgency.
President Talabani said a return by the 'dictators'
would undo all the achievements of the Iraqi nation
especially those of the country's Kurd minority.
In a closed meeting on Saturday, Iraqi President
Jalal Talabani warned that Baathists might try to
"launch a military coup," according to a a member of
Talabani's party,www.ekurd.netthe
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. The party member asked
that his name not be used because he is not
authorized to speak publicly.
The Iraqi leader said the current Baathist efforts
were aimed at mustering support from the Arab world.
On Sunday, a woman planning to run in the March
election was fatally shot in the restive northern
city of Mosul, police said. Suha Abdulla Jarallah
was a 36-year-old Sunni candidate.
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