February 14, 2008

Iraqi Lawmakers Break Impasse Over Three Key Bills

After months of gridlock in Baghdad, Iraqi lawmakers overcame their differences to pass three key laws yesterday, including two legislative benchmarks set by the U.S. Congress to measure the country's political progress amid the continuing U.S. troop presence there. The passage of the three bills is being hailed as a significant development toward reconciliation, particularly among Iraq's Sunni and Shiite factions, although analysts caution that serious hurdles remain.

The three measures passed yesterday include approval of the $48 million budget for 2008, an amnesty bill for Iraqi prisoners, and legislation outlining provincial powers and paving the way for elections later this year. The latter two are considered crucial benchmarks of Iraqi political progress.

To help smooth passage after months of bitter debate and political deadlock, the three provisions were bundled together into a single bill, which allowed members dissatisfied with one or more measures to accept them as a whole.

Debate on the package was not without drama, though. Several lawmakers walked out when provisions they disagreed with hit the floor. But the New York Times reports that most returned in time to cast their votes for the final package, and "the jubilation at the conclusion of the session and the atmosphere of amity contrasted sharply with the stinging accusations and walkouts that have characterized many of the negotiations in recent weeks." As recently as Tuesday, the Sunni speaker was threatening to disband Parliament over its inability to legislate effectively.

The package was designed to include a little something for everybody. For example, the amnesty law was strongly backed by Sunni lawmakers, since most of Iraq's 26,000 prisoners are Sunni Arabs. The budget, meanwhile, was a sticking point for Kurdish leaders, who wanted to maintain Kurdistan's 17-percent share of revenues. AP, Reuters and the Chicago Tribune have more details on the legislation.

While lawmakers were able to compromise yesterday, the package has the potential to spark more contentious political battles in the future. Kurdistan's controversial budget share, which some feel is too large, will be renegotiated next year. And enforcement of the provincial powers measure, which sets elections for Oct. 1, is contingent upon approval of a new election law, which has eluded Parliament thus far.

In addition to election rules, Iraqi leaders still have yet to reach accord on how to distribute the country's oil wealth and disputed territories. "These are issues that go to the heart of the differences between Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds," Joost Hilterman, Middle East director for the International Crisis Group, told the Los Angeles Times. "We are far from out of the tunnel."

For the time being, however, authorities are hailing yesterday's legislative breakthrough as a sign that Iraq's bickering factions are inching closer to reconciliation.

In a statement, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus welcomed the "historic compromise" reached by lawmakers, but they cautioned that there is "still more to learn about how this legislation will be implemented."

And in another political breakthrough for Iraq this week, the government has announced that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will hold talks in Baghdad in early March, marking the first visit to Iraq by an Iranian president. The two countries have not had diplomatic ties since 1979 and were engaged in a bitter war for most of the 1980s.

An Iraqi government spokesman told BBC News that Ahmadinejad will discuss bilateral relations and joint projects with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during his two-day visit. But Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told the London Times, "Iran should not interfere with Iraqi internal affairs and [should] respect that Iraq is a sovereign country."

Meanwhile, Tehran has postponed the fourth in a series of diplomatic talks it has held with American officials about security in Iraq. The Iranian government has not provided a reason for backing out of the discussions, which had been planned for Friday.

Posted at 11:29 AM
Posted to: Iran, Iraq, Kurds, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East
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