Diala sahwa councils support SOFA

DIALA / IraqiNews.com: The sahwa (awakening) councils staged a demonstration on Friday to express support for the Iraq-U.S. long-term security pact and condemnation of Kurdish leaders’ statements that “offend” these councils, according to a representative of the national reconciliation committee in the province of Diala. “A peaceful march started in the district of al-Khalis, (15 km) north of Baaquba, grouping more than 500 people representing Diala’s sahwa council as well as a number of chieftains and tribal notables in the province,” Saad Galloub told IraqiNews.com. “The demonstrators expressed support for the security agreement between the Iraqi and U.S. governments as the only option to guarantee the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq and that they would not interfere in the country’s internal affairs,” Galloub said. Iraq’s political and popular circles have been witnessing a controversy over the pact, also called the status of forces agreement (SOFA), which had been endorsed by the Iraqi government on Sunday. The Iraqi parliament failed to come up with a final decision regarding the agreement, over which loyalists of Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr staged a demonstration today, calling on parliament to reject it. Galloub said that the protesters also condemned statements by some Kurdish leaders who termed as “outlaw militias” the sahwa councils. “The Diala sahwa councils are not armed and have always expressed full support for the country’s political process and national reconciliation,” he said. The Kurdish leaders had objected Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s calls to set up sahwa councils in Kirkuk, terming persons who join these councils as “traitors”. Receiving support from the government, he sahwa councils, tribal entities often led by notables or chieftains, have emerged in central and northern Iraq areas with the aim of fighting al-Qaeda network. Meanwhile, Sheikh Morsi al-Abboud, a notable in Khalis, said the province’s clans are backing the SOFA as the only option to secure the withdrawal of U.S. forces through a timetable in accordance with the agreement items. “There’s cooperation and coordination between the sahwa councils and tribesmen on one hand and security agencies on the other as far as reporting and handing over wanted persons and protection for displaced families that returned to their original dwelling places are concerned,” Abboud indicated. Baaquba, the capital city of Diala, lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad. AmR (S) 1