Bending the Third Rail
Because We Should, We Can, We Do
Saturday, December 23, 2006
So Much For That Idea
It looks like Bush's great push forward has hit a bit of a snag. Despite recent reports, Sistani is now saying that he will not support a coalition that does not include al Sadr:
BAGHDAD, Iraq -
Iraq's most revered Shiite cleric withheld support Saturday for a U.S.-backed plan to build a coalition across sectarian lines, Shiite lawmakers said, jeopardizing hopes that such a show of political unity could help stem the country's deadly violence.

Members of the United Iraqi Alliance, the Shiite coalition that dominates parliament, met with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Najaf after traveling to the holy city over the past few days. Al-Sistani holds no political post and rarely emerges from his home and adjacent office, but he has strong influence over Shiite politics.

Some members of the Shiite alliance have sought a coalition that would include Kurds and Sunnis, and sideline Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric whose militia is blamed for much of Iraq's sectarian violence. Lawmakers who attended the meeting with al-Sistani said the cleric opposed any move that would divide Shiites.

"There are obstacles in the face of forming this coalition, because al-Sistani does not support it. So we will work to strengthen the (Shiite) alliance," said Hassan al-Sunnaid, of the Dawa Party of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
I would think that without Sistani's blessing, the risk of any move against the Sadr Corp. just went up quite a bit.
Written at 9:19 AM by Greyhair.
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