Iraq's Maliki finally Quits
Written by : Mohamed Abdel Fattah
Aug 14, 2014
Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki said Thursday night that he had agreed to relinquish power, a move that came after days of crisis , ending eight years of tumultuous rule and opening a new political chapter .
Maliki ended eight years of often divisive, sectarian rule and endorsed fellow Shi'ite Haider al-Abadi who was appointed on Monday and had begun the process of forming a Cabinet despite Maliki's angry denunciations.
"I announce before you today, to ease the movement of the political process and the formation of the new government, the withdrawal of my candidacy in favour of brother Dr. Haider al-Abadi," Maliki said in a televised speech .
Al-Maliki had insisted for weeks that he should be allowed to serve a third four-year term, as even his fellow Shiites pushed for him to go. "I say to Iraq, I will not be the reason for the shedding of one drop of blood," the Wall Street Journal reported the prime minister said.
Sunni Islamic State militants who have taken over large areas of northern Iraq in recent months, as al-Maliki helped mobilize dangerously sectarian Shiite militias to combat the Sunni rebels. Meanwhile, the country's ethnic Kurds intensified their calls for independence, the Journal reported.
Maliki’s decision to step aside came after heavy pressure from the United States, Iran also played a decisive role in convincing Mr. Maliki that he could not stay in power.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry described Maliki's decision as "important and honorable" and said "the United States stands ready to partner with a new and inclusive government to counter this threat" from the Islamic State.
Maliki, 64, whose formative political career was as a Shiite dissident under Saddam Hussein, became prime minister in 2006, taking the reins from the Iraqi Transitional Government set up after the U.S. invasion and Saddam's ouster.
He worked closely with the U.S. but has gradually fallen out of favor with Washington, especially in recent months as Islamic militants have launched a push to capture large areas of the country.
Many of the Sunnis and Kurds had become so disenchanted with Maliki that they were willing to accept any new Shiite leader. Abadi is seen as a moderate Shi'ite with a decent chance of improving ties with Sunnisand going to persuade Sunnis and Kurds to commit to the political process in Baghdad.
Abadi he is faced with halting the advance of the Islamic State, which has overrun large areas of Iraq.
What we know about Haider al-Abadi
Haider al-Abadi was born in 1952 in Baghdad, Abadi studied electrical engineering at the University of Baghdad in 1975. In 1981, he completed a PhD at the University of Manchester in the UK. He worked as an industry adviser and consultant in the UK during this time.
He was exiled from Iraq in 80s because he was a member of the Islamic Dawa party, an Iraqi Shia opposition organisation.
Abadi says during Saddam Hussein's rule two of his brothers were killed and another imprisoned for 10 years because they were all Islamic Dawa members.
After returning to Iraq in 2003, he became minister of communications in the Iraqi governing council, and has served as an MP since 2006. He has headed several Iraqi parliamentary committees, including those for finance and economics.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/14/us-iraq-security-usa-military-idUSKBN0GD1KS20140814
http://online.wsj.com/articles/iraqi-prime-minister-steps-down-1408047116
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/15/world/middleeast/iraq-prime-minister-.html?_r=0
Aug 14, 2014
Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki said Thursday night that he had agreed to relinquish power, a move that came after days of crisis , ending eight years of tumultuous rule and opening a new political chapter .
Maliki ended eight years of often divisive, sectarian rule and endorsed fellow Shi'ite Haider al-Abadi who was appointed on Monday and had begun the process of forming a Cabinet despite Maliki's angry denunciations.
"I announce before you today, to ease the movement of the political process and the formation of the new government, the withdrawal of my candidacy in favour of brother Dr. Haider al-Abadi," Maliki said in a televised speech .
Al-Maliki had insisted for weeks that he should be allowed to serve a third four-year term, as even his fellow Shiites pushed for him to go. "I say to Iraq, I will not be the reason for the shedding of one drop of blood," the Wall Street Journal reported the prime minister said.
Sunni Islamic State militants who have taken over large areas of northern Iraq in recent months, as al-Maliki helped mobilize dangerously sectarian Shiite militias to combat the Sunni rebels. Meanwhile, the country's ethnic Kurds intensified their calls for independence, the Journal reported.
Maliki’s decision to step aside came after heavy pressure from the United States, Iran also played a decisive role in convincing Mr. Maliki that he could not stay in power.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry described Maliki's decision as "important and honorable" and said "the United States stands ready to partner with a new and inclusive government to counter this threat" from the Islamic State.
Maliki, 64, whose formative political career was as a Shiite dissident under Saddam Hussein, became prime minister in 2006, taking the reins from the Iraqi Transitional Government set up after the U.S. invasion and Saddam's ouster.
He worked closely with the U.S. but has gradually fallen out of favor with Washington, especially in recent months as Islamic militants have launched a push to capture large areas of the country.
Many of the Sunnis and Kurds had become so disenchanted with Maliki that they were willing to accept any new Shiite leader. Abadi is seen as a moderate Shi'ite with a decent chance of improving ties with Sunnisand going to persuade Sunnis and Kurds to commit to the political process in Baghdad.
Abadi he is faced with halting the advance of the Islamic State, which has overrun large areas of Iraq.
What we know about Haider al-Abadi
Haider al-Abadi was born in 1952 in Baghdad, Abadi studied electrical engineering at the University of Baghdad in 1975. In 1981, he completed a PhD at the University of Manchester in the UK. He worked as an industry adviser and consultant in the UK during this time.
He was exiled from Iraq in 80s because he was a member of the Islamic Dawa party, an Iraqi Shia opposition organisation.
Abadi says during Saddam Hussein's rule two of his brothers were killed and another imprisoned for 10 years because they were all Islamic Dawa members.
After returning to Iraq in 2003, he became minister of communications in the Iraqi governing council, and has served as an MP since 2006. He has headed several Iraqi parliamentary committees, including those for finance and economics.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/14/us-iraq-security-usa-military-idUSKBN0GD1KS20140814
http://online.wsj.com/articles/iraqi-prime-minister-steps-down-1408047116
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/15/world/middleeast/iraq-prime-minister-.html?_r=0
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