Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


      Iraq's Sadr Demands 'Fair Implementation' of National Security Laws

   by Michael Lipin

   Iraq's prominent radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has called for
   the fair implementation of national security laws that have drawn weeks
   of protests from minority Sunnis who see them as biased against their
   community.
   In an interview with VOA's sister television network, Alhurra, al-Sadr
   said he agreed with Sunni protesters that the government of Iraq's
   Shi'ite prime minister has been acting in a biased way.  "We believe
   the problem is in the implementation of the [security] laws, and not
   the laws themselves," al-Sadr said.
   He said his Shi'ite political movement wants Prime Minister Nouri
   al-Maliki to fairly apply the laws, which enable the detention of
   suspected terrorists and the removal of officials linked to the Baath
   party of Iraq's former Sunni dictator, Saddam Hussein.  Al-Sadr's
   party, the Sadrist Trend, is a member of Maliki's ruling coalition and
   has 40 seats in the 325-member parliament.
   Sunni complaints
   Thousands of Iraqi Sunnis have been staging weeks of anti-government
   protests across the country, denouncing what they see as Maliki's use
   of the security laws to target and marginalize the Sunni minority.  The
   protests erupted last month in response to security forces detaining
   the bodyguards of Iraq's Sunni finance minister - one of the few Sunni
   members of Maliki's Cabinet.
   Many Sunni demonstrators also accuse the prime minister of acting like
   a dictator and want him to resign.  In the largest protest, Sunnis have
   blocked a key highway for three weeks in the western province of Anbar.
   In the interview, al-Sadr expressed sympathy for the protests, saying
   he does not differentiate between fellow Shi'ites and Sunnis.  "What is
   happening in Anbar province is not a crisis, but a healthy phenomenon
   that reflects a popular and democratic movement," al-Sadr said.
   Calls for reform
   He also said most Sunni demonstrators want the controversial security
   laws to be reformed rather than eliminated.  "They are only against the
   way [the laws] are being implemented.  They are for de-Baathification
   [of the government], but without discrimination."
   Al-Sadr suggested Maliki should resign over the crisis. "The prime
   minister should act as a father figure to all Iraqis.  If the father
   does not play a just and fair role between his children, he does not
   deserve the title of father figure."
   But the Shi'ite cleric declined to join the protesters' demand for an
   amnesty to be granted to Sunni women detained under the anti-terrorism
   law.  When asked about the demand, al-Sadr said he believes the law has
   been implemented "badly," but he also added that "all of us want to
   fight terrorism."
   Maliki's response
   The Iraqi prime minister has said that he will not tolerate mass
   anti-government protests indefinitely and warned the government has the
   ability to re-open the blocked Anbar provincial highway.  He also has
   accused Sunni partners in his ruling coalition of stalling legislation
   and being uncooperative in an effort to undermine him.
   Hundreds of Iraqi Shi'ite supporters of Maliki staged a
   counter-demonstration Saturday in Baghdad, urging him to resist calls
   for a prisoner amnesty and changes to the security laws.
   The anti-government protests have put further strain on Iraq's fragile
   coalition government as its Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish factions prepare
   to challenge each other and the opposition in provincial elections in
   April.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/iraq-sadr-demands-fair-implementation
   -of-national-security-laws/1583045.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/iraq-sadr-demands-fair-implementation-of-national-security-laws/1583045.html