Report: Allawi's INL bloc threatening withdrawal from government

Left: Ayad Allawi after addressing a joint session of the U.S. Congress. Allawi was the interim Prime Minister of Iraq prior to the 2005 legislative elections. He has been working to form a new coalition, with the goal of replacing Maliki as Prime Minister. Above: The major players -- Nuri al-Maliki (Prime Minister, Shiite), Tariq al-Hashemi (one of two Vice Presidents, Sunni), Moqtada al-Sadr ('fiery' anti-American cleric, Shiite), Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim (head of the largest Shiite coalition), Jalal Talabani (President of Iraq, Kurd, Qadiri Sufi sect of Sunnism), and Massoud Barzani (President of Iraqi Kurdistan, Naqshbandi Sufi sect of Sunnisim). The Sunni bloc recently returned to parliament after Mahmud Mashhadani was reinstated as speaker, but has withdrawn its cabinet ministers from Maliki's cabinet. Sadr's parliamentary bloc also returned recently to the legislature following a protest of the most recent bombing of the al-Askari shrine in Samarra, but also withdrew from the cabinet in April. The U.S. military has said that Sadr is back in Iran, which Sadr's aides deny.

A member in the Iraqi National List (INL) said on Thursday that his bloc is considering withdrawing from the Iraqi government, stressing that the withdrawal, if it happens, will be an outcome of the front's stance, not another bloc’s position.

"A withdrawal decision of the (INL) ministers has not been made yet," Osama al-Negefi, an INL MP, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) by telephone.

"We have reservations about the government's performance and we presented a memorandum regarding this three months ago… in which we asked to reform the political process," he said, noting that the withdrawal option is open if demands are not met.

The Iraqi National List is a secular bloc and the fourth largest bloc with 25 seats out of the 275-member parliament.

The parliamentary bloc has four portfolios within al-Maliki's government.

He stressed that if the bloc withdraws from the government this will be an outcome of their position, not that of the Iraqi Accordance Front.

The Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF) announced on Wednesday its withdrawal from the government and the resignation of five ministers in addition to Deputy Prime Minister Salam al-Zubaie.

The IAF had 44 seats in the parliament and it is the third largest bloc after the Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC) and the Kurdistan Coalition (KC).

"The memorandum presented by the INL has 14 points, and we said that the political process had deviated from its right track and the security file was in the hands of a group belonging to certain parties," al-Negefi said.

"The memorandum also included (demands concerning) the participation of some parties not included in the political process, the national reconciliation project and the detainees file," the legislator noted.

MP from the same bloc, Mayson al-Demlougi, said that their demands were ignored by al-Maliki's government, saying "we feel marginalized."

She urged the premier to listen carefully to the demands of other blocs, which have reservations about the government's performance, warning of grave consequences if the current government keeps on ignoring blocs' demands.

Head of the INL, Iyad Allawi, described in a televised interview on Wednesday, after the withdrawal of the IAF, the current government as "a sectarian government," considering the withdrawal of the IAF as "a collapse of the political process," highlighting that his front is considering making a similar step.

From VOI

Related Link:
Largest Sunni Arab bloc quits Maliki governement

Related Link:
Sunni bloc slams Maliki reply, says it 'will be justified if it goes ahead with its plan to quit the government'

Related Link:
Maliki rejects demands of Sunni bloc

Related Link:
Analysis: New Sunni Boycott May Be End Of Moderates' Bloc

Related Link:
Largest Sunni Arab bloc suspends membership in Maliki's cabinet, threatens full withdrawal from government

Related Link:
Report: Iraq leaders to hold summit

Related Link:
Iraq's largest Sunni party sets conditions for joining new bloc

Related Link:
Sunni bloc returns to parliament after al-Mashhadani reinstated as speaker

Related Link:
Sadrists end boycott of parliament

Related Link:
Hakim says he backs Maliki

Related Link:
Source: Maliki to announce new majority coalition backed by Talabani, Barzani and Hakim

Related Link:
Military 'Sources': Sadr back in Iran

Related Link:
Sadr aide says Maliki comments give Americans a 'green light' to kill Sadrists, warn 'next few days will witness Maliki's end'

Related Link:
Report: Maliki to face no-confidence vote on July 15

Related Link:
Reports: Maliki calls for new political alliance; Says Sadr movement infiltrated by 'Saddamists, Baathists and gangs'; Demands Mahdi army disarm

Related Link:
Reports: Hashemi says Sunnis 'will let our actions do the talking for us' as boycott escalates

Related Link:
Parliament ousts Speaker Mashadani

Related Link:
Report: New U.S. strategy seeks to purge Iraqi government while keeping troop levels high

Related Link:
Report: Sadr reaching out to Sunnis, purging extremists, distancing from Maliki

Related Link:
Sources: Maliki fears U.S. will torpedo government over oil money

Related Link:
Allawi makes surprise visit to Saudi Arabia following trip to Kuwait

Related Link:
Perspective: In Iraq, whispers of soft coup arise

Related Link:
Allawi forms new political bloc in threat to Maliki, promises cleanup of Interior Ministry, 2 years of martial law

Related Link:
Allawi's party threatens to quit Iraqi government