Allawi offers 3 options to end Iraqi deadlock

Deniz Kilislioğlu ARBIL / CNNTürk

Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi recently meets with Turkish President Abdullah Gül. ‘I don’t believe that Turkey is interfering in internal politics in Iraq,’ says Allawi. There are other countries that support the prime minister,” Allawi said. AA photo

A senior Iraqi Shiite politician has offered three options to overcome the ongoing political crisis in Iraq, with the preferred solution being to organize a national conference to implement the Arbil protocol, and other possibilities including early elections or the appointment of a new prime minister.

“There are three options for the future [of Iraq]: Either a full partnership [will be implemented], as we agreed in Arbil, or we’ll hold an early election. Thirdly, the National Alliance [could] replace Nouri
al-Maliki [Iraq’s prime minister] until the next elections,” Ayad Allawi, leader of the Iraqiya coalition bloc, said in an interview aboard his plane while returning to Iraq from Ankara last week.

Allawi is the former Iraqi prime minister and is now playing a crucial role in solving the political crisis that has seized the country since Maliki ordered an arrest warrant for Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, a leading Sunni politician. Allawi met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu in Ankara, because Turkey is very concerned about a potential sectarian clash in the neighboring country.

According to Allawi, the best option is still to force the National Alliance, the ruling coalition bloc, to implement the Arbil protocol by holding a national conference. “This is the message I passed on to various players who openly concurred with me that the best option is the implementation of full partnership,” he said.

Allawi sought support from Turkey and other regional heavyweights in resolving the crisis through the options he has outlined. Allawi recognizes how concerned Turkey is over the future of Iraq and differs from Maliki on the issue of the Turkish government’s stance with regard to the ongoing political stalemate in Iraq. “I don’t believe that Turkey is interfering in internal politics in Iraq. There are other countries that support Maliki which are interfering in Iraq’s politics. Rather than accusing Turkey, accusations should be leveled against those who really are inflicting damage on Iraq,” he said, obviously referring to Iran. “Turkey is very concerned about the rise of sectarianism and instability in Iraq,” Allawi said.

Iran’s hands in Iraq

Speaking out against Iran’s constant interference in Iraqi affairs and for targeting Maliki’s political opponents, Allawi advised Iran to base its involvement with Iraq on policies of mutual benefit and interest and refrain from interfering in Iraq’s internal affairs.

“Unfortunately, so far, Iran is interfering in Iraq’s internal politics, which is not healthy at all. This will lead other countries to interfere in [Iran’s] internal affairs in the future,” he added. According to Allawi, the political climate in Iraq is also of concern for Iraqi Kurds. “I think the Kurds are also frightened because of the individualistic approach of the government [against Hashemi],” he said, adding this comes at a moment when relations between Iraq’s central government and the Iraqi Kurdish regional government are strained over many other issues.