Iraqi Shiites warn of ‘rivers of blood’

BAGHDAD

In this June 5, 2004 file photo, Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr (L) steps out from an office building in Najaf, Iraq. AP photo

Iraq’s prime minister warned Dec. 24 that efforts to create an autonomous Sunni region within Iraq would divide the country and lead to “rivers of blood.” His comments came as a government crisis has strained ties between two main Muslim sects, Sunnis and Shiites, to the breaking point.

Nouri al-Maliki, the Shiite prime minister, is engaged in a showdown with the top Sunni political leader in the country. His government has issued an arrest warrant for Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi for what al-Hashemi says are trumped-up charges that he ran hit squads against government officials.
Since al-Maliki formed his government last December, minority Sunnis have been complaining of being marginalized by the Shiite-led government, prompting some Sunni provinces to call for turning into an autonomous region similar to the northern Kurdish region. The calls have been repeatedly rejected by al-Maliki. On Dec. 24, al-Maliki renewed his rejection to forming regions on a “sectarian basis,” saying it would lead to “dividing Iraq and to rivers of blood.”

“I can’t reject this issue [forming sectarian regions] since it is allowed by the constitution,” he told representatives from the Sunni Salahuddin province, one of three Sunni-dominated provinces which has seen calls for more autonomy. Diyala and Anbar provinces have also seen cries for more autonomy. “But doing it now means dividing Iraq on a sectarian basis while our country is unified,” he said.
[HH] ‘Peace code’

Iraq’s anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr also launched an initiative Dec. 24 calling for peaceful coexistence among all Iraqis after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country. The last soldiers left Dec. 18.

Al-Sadr, whose militiamen were blamed for sectarian killings during the worst years of Iraq’s violence, is seeking to assert his political weight in Iraq after the U.S. pullout. Al-Sadr’s proposal comes just two days after a terrifying wave of Baghdad bombings killed 69 people and wounded nearly 200. The bombs tore through mostly Shiite neighborhoods of the Iraqi capital, evoking fears the country could descend into a new round of sectarian violence.

Al-Sadr’s associates handed out to the media a 14-point “peace code” proposal written by the radical cleric. It warns against spilling Iraqi blood and urges respect for all religions, sects and ethnic groups. Al-Sadr’s aide Salah al-Obeidi described the code as an attempt “to preserve the unity of the country and save it from fighting.” It remains too early to say how much traction al-Sadr’s proposal could gain among Iraqis or the country’ top leadership.

Also on Dec. 24, two policemen were killed and two others wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in Hawija, 240 km north of Baghdad, said Kirkuk police commander Brig. Gen. Sarhad Qadir.

Compiled from AFP and AP stories by the Daily News staff.