Kurds – Shiites, though split, would make fine bedfellows, say Kurdish writers

ARBIL / IraqiNews.com: Two Kurdish political analysts ruled out the Shiite Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC)’s backpedaling on the idea of federalism in central and southern Iraq would have negative impact on its alliances with the Kurdistan leaders. They agreed that Kurdish alliances with the SIIC and other powers would be determined by their stance on Kurdish demands, noting the Kurds’ alliance with the Shiite parties, though split into two separate lists, is still the best option for the stakes on the Sunni powers would not be that high. “The SIIC, as an organization, is still seeking a federacy and believes in its importance for the building of a stable Iraq. Accordingly, the recent statements made by SIIC chief Ammar al-Hakim to the media about federacy not being a priority for them are part of election and political tactics,” Ribeen Rassoul told IraqiNews.com news agency. Ammar, the son of late Shiite leader Abdulaziz al-Hakim and who succeeded him as SIIC chief, had said in statements that many of the concepts, slogans and platforms of the council need to be upgraded while others would not be accepted by the Iraqi man in the street at present. “It is not part of the SIIC’s agenda at the moment to focus on federacy in central and southern Iraq. This is a right for the Iraqi people as guaranteed by the constitution and only the people would decide whether they want this right fulfilled or postponed.” Rassoul pointed out that the SIIC might not fully back down on its pro-federacy position but it would not concentrate on this for the time being. “This new attitude by the SIIC was mainly driven by its decline in the provincial councils elections early this year, which prompted it to reconsider some of the general policies and to re-arrange priorities anew based on the notion that the people today need to have services and living standards problems addressed,” Rassoul said. He viewed that the council will most probably steer clear of any issues that lack Iraqi consensus. “There are some views within the SIIC that federacy as a project to build a new state is not ripe on the Shiite street now and that perhaps the adoption of a federacy has impinged upon the SIIC’s popularity. On the other hand, the other Shiite adversary, the Dawa Party (of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki) fended off the idea and focused instead on security and service trump cards, let alone its calls for setting up a powerful government in Baghdad, which earned it support by Iraqi Shiites,” said Rassoul. He added that the provincial councils elections have brought about changes within the Shiite and Sunni ranks alike, which impose on the Kurdistan Alliance, the second largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament, to re-draw the map of its alliances accordingly. “The Sunnis are no longer represented by one single front led by the Iraqi Islamic Party, nor are the Shiite by one alliance a single coalition led by the SIIC. Based on this, the KA should re-draft its alliances and election strategies to be in harmony with the new state. The KA should never rely on a friendship of one party or coalition. Rather, it should expand its alliances and stand on one equal space from all parties,” he said. Dawa leader Maliki had announced the formation of the Dawlat al-Qanoon coalition, in which more than 40 political parties and movements are participating to prepare for the January 16, 2010 parliamentary elections, versus the SIIC-led Iraqi National Coalition which comprises the Sadrist Movement, or Iraqis loyal to Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, the Fadila (Virtue) Party and other political powers. This should lead to the re-drawing of alliances with powers outside the Shiite house after the expiry of the honeymoon between the Dawa and the SIIC, which entered the 2005 general elections together on the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) list that grabbed the majority of the seats in parli