Iraq's Post-Withdrawal Crisis, Update 5

Iraqiyya Continues Boycott

In another move that signals an escalation of the crisis, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh stated that the boycotting Iraqiyya ministers are “no longer allowed to manage ministries, and all decisions that will be signed by them are invalid” until they end their protest. On January 19, former Prime Minister and chairman of the Shi’a Iraqi National Alliance (INA) Ibrahim al-Ja’afari met with an Iraqiyya delegation led by Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi and discussed Iraqiyya’s continued boycott of parliamentary sessions and cabinet meetings. Following an Iraqiyya meeting the day before, party leaders agreed to continue their boycott.

Maliki Continues Efforts Against Hashemi and Mutlaq

According to a report, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki allegedly had offered the post of deputy prime minister held by Saleh al-Mutlaq to former Speaker of Parliament Mahmoud al-Mashadani.  On January 17, the Baghdad Operations Command announced that it would be disclosing additional confessions in the next seventy-two hours against Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi for his alleged involvement in terrorism. According to the Iraqi government, thirty-two members of Hashemi’s security detail had been arrested for their alleged involvement in the attack on parliament in late November 2011. But on January 19, the Ministry of Interior reported that they would postpone the confessions against Hashemi made by his bodyguards, most likely forced after being tortured.

Efforts Continue to Form National Conference

The formation of a joint committee to prepare the groundwork for the national conference was agreed upon in a January 13 INA meeting led by Ja’afari and attended by Maliki. The joint committee consists of three parties – State of Law, Iraqiyya, and the Kurdish bloc. Heading the national conference initiative aimed at bringing all the relevant parties together to resolve the political crisis, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani held a meeting on January 15 that tried to tackle the conflicting pre-conditions of the various sides. Both Maliki and Nujaifi attended, but according to Ja’afari, the meeting did not find the resolution needed to move forward with the national conference.

Maliki Detains Security Contractors

In recent weeks, Iraqi security forces have detained hundreds of security contractors, including many Americans, citing problems with visas, driving permits, and other documentation. Since the U.S. withdrawal, the government has stopped issuing and renewing licenses for carrying weapons, giving Iraqi authorities pretext for detaining foreign contractors for operating on expired documentation. On January 18, Ahmed al-Maliki, the son of the prime minister, who was recently placed in control of Green Zone security, announced that security contractors have ten days to exit Iraq or face “drastic security measures.” That same day, the Governor of Baghdad Governorate stated that American security contractors were intending to assassinate him. 

Turkey and Iraq Summon Ambassadors

On January 16, in a sign of continuing tensions between Turkey and Iraq, the deputy foreign minister of Iraq summoned the Turkish ambassador to “express the Iraqi government’s concern over remarks made recently by Turkish officials…which could negatively affect relations between the two countries.” Two days later, the Turkish Foreign Ministry reciprocated and summoned the Iraqi ambassador in Ankara and emphasized Turkey’s right to be concerned with the developments in Iraq. That same day, three rockets were launched on the Turkish embassy in Baghdad.

For a comprehensive look at the first two months since U.S. troops left Iraq, read Ramzy Mardini's backgrounder, " Iraq's Recurring Political Crisis."  To read a transcript from the Feb. 29 event "Policing Iraq," click here, and to read a transcript from the Feb. 16 event "Iraq After the U.S. Withdrawal," click here. To read past and future weekly updates, click here.