Baath should not be allowed in Iraq – Hakim

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC) chief Abdulaziz al-Hakim on Saturday said that the Baath party should have no presence anew in Iraq, stressing the importance of distinguishing between the party and those who joined it by force and did not commit “crimes against Iraqi people.” Hakim’s statements came in a speech during celebrations marking the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, according to a release issued by the SIIC. “There are open and covert activities to allow the Baath party to be present anew on the Iraqi political chessboard, but everyone has to realize the fact that the Baath has wreaked havoc on the country and that its an enemy of the Iraqi people, the faith and the Arabs,” the Shiite leader stressed. An official of Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdulmahdi’s media office had told IraqiNews.com that the mass media have carried the visit of Mohammed Rashad al-Sheikh Radi, the representative of the Iraq Regional Command to Iraq and his meetings with Iraqi officials. He called for being “fair to the party. While we call on our people that reject the Baath due to its aggressive policies and mass graves, we think that it would be fair if we did not condemn (Baath) members who supported the people in the face of Saddam’s gang”. AmR (P)/SR 1