BAGHDAD, 26 June 2006 — Iraq’s prime minister presented a plan for national reconciliation to Parliament yesterday, but Nuri Al-Maliki was short on details of how he aimed to end what he called the “ugly picture” of life in Iraq.
The plan has been the subject of intense behind-the-scenes negotiations among the fractious sectarian and ethnic parties in the governing coalition and appears to omit much that is controversial.
Listing examples of bloodshed and chaos, the Shiite Islamist Maliki, confirmed in office a month ago, said: “We must put an end to this ugly picture.” Eighteen people were reported killed in car bombings and shootings across Iraq yesterday and 16 government employees were kidnapped north of Baghdad, in the same area where busloads of factory workers were snatched last week.
After a 15-minute address, Maliki won approval from leaders of the Sunni minority that was dominant under Saddam Hussein but insisted he would not negotiate with Saddam’s diehard followers or Al-Qaeda rebels who are the mainstay of the insurgency.
“No and a thousand times no,” he said. “There can be no deal with them until they have been justly punished.” He offered an “olive branch” to all those prepared to take part in building a new Iraq but, contrary to some speculation, there was no bold public call for talks with Sunni insurgents.
US envoy to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad called the plan a good step “to mend Iraq’s wounds.” He urged insurgents to “lay down their arms and join the democratic process” but said Saddam’s followers and “terrorists” were irreconcilable with the plan.
But Maliki did promise a review of laws that have barred Baathists from public office and the military.
Nor was there clear new language on dealing with the party militias, mostly backers of the Shiite and Kurdish groups in the government. Instead, the reconciliation plan followed much of the outline of Maliki’s government platform issued in May.
“There will be an amnesty for those who did not take part in criminal and terrorist acts and war crimes,” said Maliki, echoing calls for the US military to address Sunni grievances about the 13,000 mostly Sunni men held without charge.
Maliki also said the US-led foreign troops must respect human rights — a hot issue after revelations of a US military probe into the deaths of 24 civilians at Haditha in November.
Since then other cases have come to light and yesterday the military said a soldier had been charged with voluntary manslaughter.
