AlJazeera.Net (Qatar) : "Iraqi Shias form new alliance"

Iraqi Shias form new alliance

Al-Maliki is planning to form a coalition that will include tribal Sunni leaders, an aide said [GETTY] 

A group of Shia Muslim parties in Iraq have formed a coalition ahead of January's election, but Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, has not joined the bloc.

The coalition will include the Iranian-backed Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC), the largest Shia party, and followers of Muqtada al-Sadr, the populist Shia leader known for his anti-US stance and his al-Mahdi Army militia.

Adel Abdul-Mehdi, Iraq's vice-president and SIIC member, said on Monday: "I wish that our brothers in [al-Maliki's] Dawa party would be among us today and, God willing, efforts will continue to include everyone, with Dawa at the top of the list."

Dawa was left out because of disagreements over who would lead the alliance, a senior SIIC member said.

Deep divisions remain among the Shia parties and al-Maliki is said to be planning a multi-confessional coalition that will include tribal Sunni leaders.

'Multi-confessional coalition'

Ali al-Mussawi, an adviser to al-Maliki, said: "Mr Maliki wants a real national coalition, not just in the word, but in the programme and composition of the alliance."

The grouping formed without the Dawa party, to be called the Iraqi National Alliance, announced its list of election candidates at a news conference in Baghdad on Monday.

Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a former prime minister and SIIC member, read a statement noting that Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, the ailing leader of the Supreme Council, was absent because he is in hospital in Iran.

Also absent was al-Sadr, who is believed to be in Iran.

The announcement is a major shift in Shia politics, which have long been dominated by SIIC and the Dawa party.

The divisions among the Shia leaders could mark a move away from the sectarian alliances that have dominated Iraqi politics since 2003 as Shia blocs scramble
for partners among Kurds and Sunnis.

'No threat'

Several Sunnis are set to join the new Shia coalition, including a small faction from the western Anbar province that includes fighters who joined forces with US troops against al-Qaeda in Iraq and won power in provincial elections

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