Iraqi parliament hit by walkout

This is from Google. Only part of the article is excerpted. So this fellow is being protected from going to his job in parliament? There is still obviously a lot of conflict between Sunnis and Shia. However, Sadr has been rather conciliatory of late. The security situation seems to be somewhat better for now but the political situation seems unresolved especially with respect the oil law. It seems to be taking forever to work out an acceptable compromise.


Iraq parliament hit by walkout over raid on Sunni leader
1 day ago

BAGHDAD (AFP) — Iraq's faltering political process was thrown into fresh turmoil on Saturday when the main Sunni bloc walked out of parliament in protest at a security crackdown on its leader Adnan al-Dulaimi.

The latest political upheaval came as suspected Al-Qaeda militants killed 14 people in a raid on a Shiite village.

The National Concord Front, the main Sunni bloc with 44 MPs in the 275-member parliament, walked out of the assembly, saying it would return after Dulaimi himself comes back to the legislature.

"We announce our boycott of the parliament until Adnan al-Dulaimi returns to the assembly today or tomorrow," the bloc's Abdul Karim al-Samarraie told the assembly.

"When I went to meet him I was stopped and told that he is under house arrest. This is a violation of the rights of an MP who wants to come to the parliament," Samarraie said.

After his statement the bloc's MPs walked out of the assembly hall. Mahmud al-Mashhadani, the Sunni parliament speaker, joined them.

Shiite MP Haider al-Ibadi said the Dulaimi issue should not be discussed in the assembly.

"There is an investigation and parliament should not interfere in it," he said before the Sunnis walked out.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh denied that Dulaimi was under house arrest.

"What is being said about house arrest is not true. It is only protection given to Dulaimi until the situation is clear," Dabbagh told state television Al-Iraqiya.

Political tension has risen sharply following the security crackdown on Dulaimi after the Iraqi army said on Thursday it found car bombs near his Baghdad offices.

After the Iraqi military detonated the car bombs found near Dulaimi's Hail Adel neighbourhood office in Baghdad troops detained his son and dozens of bodyguards, while Dulaimi said he was put under "confinement" in his home.

Dabbagh said there was "criminal evidence" against the bodyguards.

"They are being interrogated. If questioning finds that they are criminals they will be referred to the judiciary, otherwise they will be released," he told Al-Iraqiya.

He told the television: "I am not supporting any terrorist network. I am a political worker. If any of my bodyguards is involved in terrorism, isolate him and punish him. I call upon all Iraqis to save Iraq."

Tension between the Front and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government has been running high since the Sunni bloc withdrew its six ministers from the cabinet on August 1, accusing Maliki of failing to rein in Shiite militias and of detaining Sunnis arbitrarily.

Maliki has tried without success to persuade the Sunni ministers to return, according to Dabbagh