Opinion: Al-Ja'fari Didn't Make Us Happy… al-Maliki Should Not Upset Us
Aso is issued three times a week by Xandan for broadcasting and publishing.
During the time that Ibrahim al-Ja'fari was prime minister until he withdrew, he not only did nothing for the Kurds, but he actually didn't do anything for all of Iraq. The situation in the country went from bad to worse. His surprise visit to Turkey drew criticism from many parties, and as a result he withdrew his candidacy (for the premiership.) The new candidate (Nouri al-Maliki) is the second person in Ja'fari's (Da'wa Party.) Thus the student replaced his master. It doesn’t necessarily mean that Maliki will follow his master's path. He might discuss issues with him but not take his advice. But both of them have the same religious sect (Shia,) and the same party manifesto of the United Iraqi Alliance. Maliki has been strong on some issues such as de-Ba'thification, but the question is: Will he continue with it? He hasn't still formed his cabinet and he made a controversial statement about dissolving militias and integrating them with the Iraqi Army. This sparked discussions in the media and particularly on Arabic satellite channels, which used the opportunity to question Peshmarga (Kurdish fighters) forces. In all Iraqi conferences, whether inside or outside Iraq, Peshmarga forces have not been seen as militias, including in bilateral agreements between the Kurdistan Alliance and the United Iraqi Alliance. It is strange that whenever discussions come up about militias some people view Mahdi Army and Peshmarga with the same lens. Maliki should not give unclear speeches that leave (the status of each group) to interpretation.
