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"In
the name of National Concord Front, we thank the resistance,"
said Dulaimi. (Reuters)
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BAGHDAD,
December 17, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - A leading
Sunni politician called on Saturday, December 17, for a coalition
government to protect national unity in Iraq as he thanked resistance
fighters for not attacking polling stations during last week's
"successful" legislative election.
"We
will work towards finding a strong coalition in the national assembly
that can protect the rights of Iraqis," Adnan Al-Dulaimi, the
leader of the main Sunni election coalition National Concord Front
(NCF), told a news conference, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"We
will conclude an accord with all forces who want to protect Iraq's
unity and security and who are looking to set up a balanced authority,
rejecting communal dispensations," added Dulaimi.
Dozens
of supporters of the main Sunni list demonstrated outside Dulaimi's
Baghdad office where the news conference was held.
"Shiites,
Sunnis, brothers together, this is our country," they cried.
In
the city of Baquba, north of Baghdad, dozens of Sunnis paraded in the
streets with portraits of their leaders.
Another
march in the Sunni city of Samarra, also north of Baghdad, demanded
the withdrawal of the US-led occupation forces.
The
Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq said ballots were still being
counted and official results would not be available before the end of
the year.
“Successful”
Dulaimi
further trumpeted Thursday’s election as "successful"
despite some violations.
"The
election process succeeded ... Thank God there were only a few cases
in a huge country where there is death and violence," he told the
press conference.
Sunni
Arabs had largely boycotted elections for a transitional parliament in
January but a large turnout on Thursday, December 15, signaled their
willingness to maximise their representation in the new government.
The
elections will lead to the first full-term parliament since the ouster
of Saddam Hussein's regime by US-led occupation forces in April 2003.
The
275-member parliament's first task will be to appoint a president and
two vice presidents who will then have 15 days to name a prime
minister.
The
premier will have 30 days to form a full-term, four-year cabinet with
parliamentary approval.
“Thanks
Resistance”
Dulaimi
also thanked the resistance factions for honoring a pledge to protect
polling stations.
"The
resistance announced it would protect polling stations and not allow a
single group to attack them and it respected its promise," he
said.
"In
the name of the National Concord Front, we thank the resistance,"
Dulaimi said.
On
Monday, December 12, one of the NCF's co-leaders Sheikh Khalaf
Al-Alyani urged resistance fighters to observe a five-day truce so
that the elections could take place peacefully.
On
the same day, the so-called Islamic Army in Iraq urged its fighters
not to attack polling stations.
Unabated
resistance attacks, which started after the US occupation in 2003, has
left so far up to 2,100 US servicemen killed, sending shockwaves
across the United States.
The
majority of resistance factions have always sought to distance
themselves from militant groups who target mosques and civilians.
Hand
in Hand
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Jaafari
said Shiites and Sunni Arabs should work hand in hand in the new
parliament. (Reuters)
|
Outgoing
Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said Saturday that Shiites and Sunni
Arabs should work hand in hand in the new parliament.
"To
our brothers in Mosul, Ramadi and Tikrit, I say your brothers in
Najaf, Karbala and Hilla have waited a long time to work hand in hand
with you under the dome of the next parliament to build the new
Iraq," he told reporters.
Jaafari
urged Sunni scholars to "use their position to spread principles
of unity and freedom".
He
also called on Baathists to work with "their brothers" to
rebuild Iraq.
Jaafari,
second candidate for the United Iraqi Alliance, is guaranteed to be
elected to parliament with the bloc set to win the highest number of
seats.
He
met Saturday with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the spiritual leader
of Iraq's Shiites, in all likelihood to discuss the political future
of the country.
Jaafari
has said that if the UIA lost, which is unlikely, he would work with
whoever won "even if they are not qualified."
US
President George W. Bush has trumpeted the election as a victory for
the Iraqi people, hoping a strong government will quickly coalesce.
A
spokesman for Bush said he has contacted the leaders of Saudi Arabia,
Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates and asked them to help
Iraq establish a new government.
US
ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, and General George Casey, the
commander of coalition forces in Iraq, said in a statement: "The
newly elected leaders should come together quickly and build bridges
for national unity."
The
UN Security Council also called for "the rapid formation of a
representative government" and stressed "the importance of
inclusiveness, dialogue and national unity as Iraq's political
development moves forward."
