Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Maliki of Iraq changes his mind
After getting word from his Iranian supervisors that it would be good for him to do so. No longer will he attempt to cling to power using the military.
Tensions eased in Iraq’s capital Tuesday as Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki gave his first signals that he’s preparing to step down from his post as Prime Minister-designate Haider al Abadi began forming a new government.Just another indication of the value of a mutually acceptable modus vivendi with Iran.
In a statement, Maliki urged the nation’s military “to stay away from the political crisis,” indicating that he won’t use the armed forces to hold on to his office.
It was a significant reversal in tone for Maliki, who on Monday held a press conference in which he and political allies accused Abadi of a power grab and said they would fight his appointment.
At the same time, Maliki lost one of his most important allies when top officials in the Iranian government publicly embraced Abadi’s nomination.
The word came from Ali Shamkani, a representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni. Iranian state news reported that Shamkani voiced Iran’s support for Iraq’s constitutional process and urged Iraqis to unite behind their national government.
Those signals gave a sense of palpable relief to Iraqi leaders who feared that Maliki would refuse to give up his office.
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