Withdrawing confidence from PM National Alliance's exclusive right, says official
01/06/2012 11:10

BAGHDAD, June 1 (AKnews)- The decision to withdraw confidence form Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is not any other party's but the exclusive right of the National Alliance (NA) which elected Maliki, an NA official said.

The Iraqi National Congress (INC) is an inseparable part of the NA and it supports any decision the NA takes with regard to Maliki, said Mohammed al-Mousawi, INC spokesperson.

Two days ago INC leader Ahmed al-Chalabi attended the third meeting of major political leaders which among other issues discussed withdrawing confidence from Maliki.

Mousawi described the reports over Chalabi's participation in the meetings over the issue of withdrawing confidence from government as "malformations. He added his party did not raise any such demands.

"We will not allow for others to deprive the NA from its right [to strip off Maliki from his confidence] under any pretext or excuse," Mousawi said.

Iraqiya List spokesperson Maysun Damluji said that so far 164 (the required quorum) MPs have signed to withdraw confidence from Maliki, including members of the State of Law Coalition (SLC), led by Maliki himself.

She added the signatures will be sent to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, who will then take the constitutional route by asking the House of Representatives to withdraw confidence from the PM.

The campaign against Maliki almost officially began on April 28 when four major leaders met in Erbil with Talabani and in a letter to the NA demanded the PM to comply with the constitution and political agreements which led to the formation of the current government.

The leaders warned failure to meet this demand will push them to withdraw confidence from Maliki's government.

They set a two week deadline for Maliki to officially declare he will enforce the demand. Maliki, in return, said he has carried out all his obligations under the political accords and the constitution.

This response led Kurdistan's President Massoud Barzani, Iraqiya List Leader Ayad Allawi, House Speaker Nujaifi (also an Iraqiya leader) and Sadr Current Leader Muqtada Sadr, to meet for the second time in Najaf.

This time they set a one week deadline for NA to name a substitute for Maliki.

No response came from NA and the same leaders held a third meeting at the presence of other political leaders in Dukan resort, Suli, for the third time.

MPs form Maliki's SLC maintain that the number of signatures against Maliki is not precise as all the components of NA, except the Sadr Current, support Maliki.

They also claim that Talabani has turned down House Speaker's recent official demand for withdrawing confidence from Maliki.

By Raman Brusk


https://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/4/310110/