LATEST: Maliki Rejects Kurdish Independence, But Barzani Presses Ahead

UPDATE 1345 GMT: Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has responded to the failure of Parliament to address the formation of a unity Government.

Maliki said in his weekly TV address:

A state of weakness occurred, but God willing in the next session (planned for July 8) we will overcome it with cooperation and agreement and openness…in choosing the individuals and the mechanisms that will result in a political process based on…democratic mechanisms.


The proposed process for a “unity” Government to check an insurgent offensive that has taken some of Iraq’s major cities collapsed as soon as it started on Tuesday, as Parliament broke up within 30 minutes of its opening.

More than 250 of the 328 MPs initially appeared, but after a fractious start to debate, Kurdish and Sunni MPs refused to return from a break, leaving Parliament with only 60 of the 175 members needed for a quorum.

The acting Speaker of Parliament suspended the session for a week.

Kurdish legislators complained they had not been paid by the Shia-led Government since Kurdistan extended
its autonomy and secured Kirkuk at the start of the insurgent offensive three weeks ago.

Other MPs responded that the Kurds, despite fighting the insurgent Islamic State in parts of Iraq, had collaborated with IS so they could take Kirkuk with its vital place in the oil industry. They accused the Kurdish Regional Government of selling oil to foreign buyers, including in Israel.

The Parliament was supposed to start the process of naming a Speaker, President, and Prime Minister. Sunnis and Kurds were said to have agreed on Salim al-Jabouri to become the new Speaker, replacing Osama al-Nujaifi, a fellow Sunni.. In exchange, Kurds were to announce their choice for President, who has to be a Kurd, and the Shia National Alliance bloc was to announce a Shia Prime Minister to replace Nuri al-Maliki.

However Nujaifi wants to hold onto his seat, said Maliki supporters. Kurds were said to be nowhere near agreeing on a President, while both Kurds and Sunnis said Shia MPs had not fulfilled their part of the deal with a nominee for Prime Minister.

There was no immediate reaction from Washington or Tehran to developments, but the United Nations’ representative in Baghdad, Nickolay Mladenov, said, “Politicians in Iraq need to realize that it is no longer business as usual. I call upon all political leaders to set aside their differences.”

The UN said deaths by violence tripled in June, with 2,417 people — 1,531 civilians and 886 members of the security forces — killed. The toll was the highest monthly figure since 2008.


Maliki Rejects Kurdish Independence, But Barzani Presses Ahead

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has rejected any referendum for Kurdish independence, saying in his weekly televised address, “No one has the right to exploit the events that took place to impose a fait accompli, as happened in some of the actions of the Kurdistan region. This is rejected.”

However, Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani, who presented the idea in an interview with the BBC earlier this week, pressed ahead in a discussion with Voice of America Persian:

Independence must be achieved. I believe now the conditions are also favorable for independence. This subject is clear and once achieved, we will help our brethren in Iraq, within our capabilities, to help Iraq maybe surmount the current crisis. But this does not mean that we will set aside the independence of Kurdistan.

Amnesty: Islamic State Abducted 24 Yezidi Border Guards & Soldiers

Amnesty International reports attacks by the Islamic State on the Yezidi minority in northwestern Iraq, including the abduction of at least 24 border guards and soldiers.

Some of the men were later released, but the rest are being held by the Islamic State across the border in northeastern Syria. It claimed in a video that the Yezidi are “devil worshippers”.

Amnesty has also reported on abductions of Turkmen, Shabak Shia, and Christians by ISIS. Some of those kidnapped have later been found killed.

Detainees who have been released say they were pressured into converting to Islam.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Repeats, “We Are Not Sending Troops”

Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has repeated, amid talks in Moscow with Russian officials, that Iran will not send armed forces to fight Iraq’s insurgents.

However, Abdollahian said Tehran would provide weapons and military consultants if asked, “If Iraq ever requires our arms for an effective combat against terrorism, we will provide these arms in accordance with international law and our bilateral contracts.”

Reports indicate that two battalions of the elite Qods Force, part of the Revolutionary Guards, were sent into Iraq soon after insurgents took the cities of Mosul and Tikrit and advanced on Baghdad. Qods Forces commander Qassem Soleimani inspected frontlines and advised Iraqi political and military leaders.

An Iraqi official also claimed that Tehran had despatched 1,500 Basij militia into eastern Iraq to check the insurgent advance.

The Deputy Foreign Minister continued Iran’s claims of US responsibility for the insurgency, including the Islamic State, “What has happened in Iraq recently is clearly a result of foreign meddling, a plan by the United States. The Americans want to create a second Ukraine in Iraq.”

Abdollahian also chided Kurdish officials, including Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani, over their plans to hold a referendum on independence.

The Deputy Foreign Minister said the Kurdish leaders should face reality and respect Iraq’s Constitution.

(Cross-posted from Iran Daily)