Top Sunni cleric calls on U.S. to stop supporting Maliki's 'puppet' government

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 The largest Sunni bloc recently returned to parliament after Mahmud Mashhadani was reinstated as speaker, but has withdrawn its cabinet ministers from Maliki's cabinet.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. Not pictured is former Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, whose smaller Sunni bloc is boycotting cabinet meetings.

Iraq's top Sunni cleric called on the United States on Monday to cut ties with Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, saying his "puppet" government had failed and a U.S. backed political process was at a dead end.

"If the Americans remain with this policy and rely on the same men who proved their failure again and again then they will leave Iraq in failure," Sheikh Harith al-Dari told Reuters.

"The U.S. administration should rectify its position in Iraq and stop depending on puppets... who have proven their failure," the leader of Iraq's Muslim Clerics Association said in an interview in Amman.

Maliki's unity government, set up to try to ease sectarian tensions and quell violence, has been in crisis since the main Sunni Arab bloc quit early this month and he wants political leaders to meet in coming days to resolve the deadlock.

Read the rest at Reuters/Alternet

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