Conflicting stances of Baathists in Anbar on reconciliation

Anbar-Baathists-Feature ANBAR / IraqiNews.com: Some leaders of the dissolved Baathists party have expressed their rejection of the call made by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to reconcile with the party’s members, considering it as a form of pressure over the political powers, while other members asserted they negotiated with the government. Some information was leaked to the mass media regarding secret meetings between former Baathists and the Iraqi government and the U.S. forces. Abu Naboukhaz al-Falluji, a leader of the party, told IraqiNews.com news agency “we are not concerned with the current government’s initiatives because it targets certain people who represent themselves only, not the party.” “As the Iraqi people know, we will never abandon our principles,” he said. “Everyone knows our demands, mainly the withdrawal of the occupation forces and the elimination of what they have caused in Iraq.” “The occupation forces and the countries who help them are the main reasons for what happened in Iraq,” he also said. Another leader of the Baath party in Anbar, Abu Wassam, said those who refused to negotiate with the government are “dissidents” and they do not represent the party because they were ousted by the national leadership of the party. “Neither the occupants nor the current government have the right to make a decision regarding the party’s return,” he said. But Abu Ahmad, a leader of the party, told IraqiNews.com that “there is no wrong in entering the political process and trying to get Iraq out of its current situation emplying diplomatic and peaceful ways.” “Everyone knows that we negotiated with the government and we may return to take participate in the political process,” he pointed out. Earlier this month, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called for a reconciliation with, and forgiveness of, the Baath party members. Maliki called for the reconciliation of the nation during a tribal leaders meeting in the Rashid hotel in Baghdad, saying, “We must reconcile with those who were obliged to be members of Baath party in the past. They are Iraqis and sons of this country.” Trying to bring back the national unity to the Iraqi people, Maliki believes that reconciliation of the nation is an urgent demand that helps in the continuation of the reconstruction phase. Iraqi government recently invited exiled former Iraqi Army officers to return to Iraq, aiming at building national unity. Most of them are former members of the Baath party. The lawmakers passed legislation in the Iraqi Constitution which lead to purging the Baath party members from the political process. The Baath party governed Iraq for roughly 35 years, until their rule was ended by the U.S. invasion in 2003. The members of the Baath Party are banned from the new government as well as from other public organizations. SH (I)/SR 2