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Escape from Baghdad .. Basra, the federal project to postpone indefinitely
On: Saturday 02/04/2012 10:16
Basra / single Ghanem
Basra fell back from its demand for the establishment of a federal region, while observers believe that Baghdad has put pressure on the conservative South and turned the tables on the advocates of federalism. Prior year and a half the Basra Governorate Council announced the start of legal proceedings to establish a federal territory. 16 members signed the day
Out of 35 on their formal request to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers has not received the response. The same claim is repeated in the middle of last year, but by the House of Representatives, without a decision in its order. In a surprise announcement today, gave up his demand for the provincial council, because "the timing was not right." Allaibi Hashem, spokesman of the provincial council said in a statement to "talk" that "now is not the right time for raising the issue of federalism." It connects the reasons for them not to "the adoption of the Electoral Commission of the demand and the problems of the demarcation of the border disputes between Iraq and neighboring countries."
official notification provincial council in Basra raised Abadi, also said that "what happened is linger and delay of the electoral cycle the next or the next." The Iraqi constitution allows for the formation of regions, and require the approval of one-third of the provincial council or a request from the tenth of the voters registered with the Electoral Commission, before a referendum must be given a project to accept two-thirds of the province. And return the discussions and claims Pfidralah Basra to 2006 during the period which saw the political and sectarian Tnahra bloody time, and called on the Islamic Supreme Council of the Federation of the nine provinces of South, but were met with strong opposition. He argues claimants federalism today and their opponents both on the basis of the desire of the masses of Basra, while the available questionnaire thoroughly neutral on the issue. Last attempts seriously to create the region initiated by four years ago, former MP and Judge Wael Abdul Latif, one of the most ardent of the territory in the south, along the lines the Kurdistan region.
Abdul Latif, a secular senior notables of Basra, failed at the end of 2008, along with the Islamic Virtue Party, in the collection of the number of signatures required for the referendum, and attributed his failure in a timely manner not to alienate citizens from the federal or non-approval to reduce the central state, but to oppose the dominant political parties in Baghdad and the employment of full potential of physical and political obstruction in the project. Attribute the Abdul Latif today to postpone the local government to discuss the draft region to "pressure" exerted by Baghdad to all the forces claim federalism.
He adds that "the establishment of the territory in Basra will undermine the authority of totalitarian parties that formed after 2003 and gained access to power, and there will be local authorities understand the suffering of its citizens and has with participants of many, "as he put it.
From the perspective of this policy, the government of Nouri al-Maliki will not accept the application of the project, "not now or in the future," because it weakens its central authority.
explains, "in 2008 presented to the representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations 50 Msthompska prove unlawful interference, and the various ways even religious ones to block the implementation of this idea, he told me explicitly that the central government does not want to be Basra provinces. " About the nature of these interventions says former MP "That was through the use of power and influence and bribes and buy some receivables media, let alone broadcast sedition and opinions counterfeit atone both vote for the province of Basra."
includes Basra, 590 km south of Baghdad, about 60% of oil reserves, with a a population of 2.0004 million thousand people. Which is the only sea port for the country and road node with neighboring countries. Although imports large record maintained miserably at the economic and service.
advocates for the establishment of the region jumping from defended one, and say that the ministries of Baghdad does not manage file services and reconstruction efficiency, and corruption is rampant in the joints of the central government, and that the projects approved by the provincial council is unable to implement for the late arrival funds.
analyst Tariq Brism attribute the failure of the Council in fulfilling his task to narrow the powers granted to him, law of the provincial councils current (Act 21 of 2008) is based on the state administration central, especially in financial terms, according to his analysis.
On the other hand, there are Islamist forces in the south is not can imagine Basra provinces independent. Sadr rejects the principle of federalism altogether, unlike the Islamic Supreme Council, which calls for the creation of the great features nine southern provinces, given that "this project (nine provinces) represents the desire of the religious authority," says Ali Hirbawi Information Officer of the Council.
and insists the Supreme Council to be the provincial capital city of Najaf, not Basra, Valthanih do not enjoy where Shiite religious authority influential.
highlights when the debate on the issue federal obvious conflict between the members of the local government in the far south and the heads of their parties residing in Baghdad.
Most of those who voted in favor of the claim the region mid-last year they are a coalition of state law despite the fact that Alliance leader Nuri al-Maliki of the most adherents of the centrality of the state.
Ghanem Abdul Amir star member of the provincial council in Basra for the rule of law does not negate the desire of the majority of the members of the provincial council in the establishment of the region "to fulfill their obligations and ethical promises to their constituents." But he says that the grounds for postponement of claim region "real" and that "those who reject the demand did not do it as a principle, but justified their attitude to certain conditions experienced by the country."
Among those conditions, according to Ghanem, the fear of depletion of the budget of the province in the building of administrative structures and new regulations required by the the region such as ministries, departments, etc., instead of providing services to citizens.
As Mahmoud Taan, who is president of the Economic Development Commission in the province of Basra, and a block of state law, too, believed that the project was approved at the moment "will enhance the chances of outside intervention from neighboring countries, in the political instability gripping the country. "
and describes Judge Wael Abdul Latif, the justifications put forward by the Council as "flimsy." He says that the decline in members demanding federalism stems from the fear of losing their jobs and their political future in the next election if they stood in the face of their leaders.
"All of us have contributed in 2008 to support the establishment of the region Tansloa us later in order to preserve their positions." Excluding the establishment of the region at the present time poses analyst Tariq Brism, along with members of the Council alternative solutions, including expanding the powers of local government and give them more decentralized ", as an intermediate between centralization and federalism."
and pours this proposal is within the official move, announced by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki last November to grant broad powers to the provinces, in a move that combines a compromise expanding the powers and adhere to the unity of the state in the same time. Apersem believes that such a proposal "to build cadres and cadres be prepared to manage the process of federalism in the future if achieved, will also help the local government to achieve development if the project remains locked into the federal drawers".
n for: Talk Weekly
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