Sahwa councils could stir sedition, says key legislator

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi Parliament’s deputy speaker on Wednesday said that the formation of sahwa (awakening) tribal councils in the cities of Mosul and Kirkuk and other disputed areas could foment sedition and shake stability now that these councils are “illegal.” “The two cities have a potpourri of sects, religions and ethnicities and the formation of such councils could be used by some to ignite the situation there,” Aref Tayfour said in a statement received by IraqiNews.com. He called on the federal government under Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to “give up on the idea of setting up sahwa councils because they are “illegal and unconstitutional and could cause a loss of life and money”. Tayfour also called for “focusing on backing security agencies in Kirkuk and Mosul”. Maliki on Wednesday said that the sahwa councils are “pivotal” to maintain security and stability, calling on the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) to avoid media “escalation”. The prime minister’s statement was issued in response to another by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani’s PUK and Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barazani’s KDP in which they expressed rejection against the formation of sahwa tribal councils. The two main Kurdish parties concurred on Tuesday that the formation of sahwa tribal councils in Iraq’s Kurdistan region and disputed areas runs counter against the constitution. “The formation of these armed elements is defying the laws endorsed by the Iraqi parliament and is also against the opinions of the majority of the country’s political powers that call for disbanding these militias,” according to a joint statement by the two parties after a meeting of their politburos in the city of Arbil. The sahwa fighters, armed by the U.S. forces, were formed by tribes in several cities and provinces of Iraq, namely Anbar, Diala, Salah al-Din and Mosul as well as some areas in the Iraqi capital with the aim of fighting armed organizations in their areas. AmR (S)/SR 1