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Iran shifts iraq support to sadr for opposing US Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-03-16T235241Z_01_N16339705_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAN-USA-IRAQ.xml&archived=Falsehttp://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-03-16T235241Z_01_N16339705_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAN-USA-IRAQ.xml&archived=False
Possible Iran-US talks reveal Iraq Shi'ite rivalry
Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:52 PM ET
By Mariam Karouny
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The prospect of Iranian-U.S. talks on Iraq, which look more likely after statements in Washington and Tehran on Thursday, partly reflects intense struggles within Iraq's dominant Shi'ite Alliance, Iraqi political sources say.
Deadlock on forming the national unity government that U.S. officials say can avert civil war is not only the result of Sunni and Kurdish opposition to Shi'ite Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, but also of Shi'ite factional rivalry for the post.
A call on Wednesday from Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the biggest party in the Alliance, SCIRI, for Iran to take part in negotiations is part of a SCIRI strategy to overturn the bloc's nomination of Jaafari to a second term, the sources said.
Hakim's broader goal may be to re-establish his authority in the bloc in the face of challenges from other leaders.
Dawa party leader Jaafari has Iranian backing for the job, and this has cost him Washington's support, sources familiar with the internal workings of the Alliance said.
"Washington knows Iran favors Jaafari and as a result it has said a big 'No' to him," said one senior Iraqi politician.
Hakim hopes to exploit this to reverse an internal ballot that handed the nomination to Jaafari over SCIRI's Adel Abdul Mahdi by a single vote.
"We used to say SCIRI was Iran's favorite but not any more," the politician said. "The good relations they have with Washington have affected that."
Formed in Shi'ite Iran in the 1980s to fight Saddam Hussein, SCIRI has lost favor in Tehran, with Iranian backing going more to the young cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. His militia followers twice rose up against U.S. forces in 2004 at a time when SCIRI was working closely with the U.S. invaders to take power in Baghdad.
SADR'S INFLUENCE
It was Sadr, the third force in the Alliance, whose backing was crucial to securing the premiership nomination for Jaafari.
"Iran is against the American occupation of Iraq. SCIRI now is working closely with the Americans in the political process. This is annoying Iran; that is why it is shifting more toward Sadr," one senior Iraqi political official said.
"Iran would now support whoever Sadr supports."
Hakim's strategy looks like an attempt to restore SCIRI's position in Iranian affections while lessening Sadr's influence in Tehran.
Sadr aides came out strongly on Thursday against the proposed discussions.
Hakim may also hope that talks between Iran and the United States, which have not had diplomatic relations for 26 years, might reshuffle the political deck to such an extent that the Iranians would give up on Jaafari in favor of a SCIRI candidate for prime minister.
It is far from certain events will follow this course.
Washington accuses Tehran of "meddling" in Iraq, and Iranian influence over the majority Shi'ite bloc is a source of deep discontent among Sunnis in Iraq and in the wider Arab world, reflecting historic religious and ethnic divides.
However, the political sources said there was a sense of urgency in Baghdad about solving the dispute over Jaafari.
Alliance officials acknowledge that their internal divisions over the nomination are blocking the entire process of forming a grand coalition, leaving Iraq's leaders paralyzed in the face of mounting sectarian tension that many fear can lead to civil war.
U.S. officials in Baghdad declined to comment on the issue.
The U.S. ambassador in Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, key facilitator of the government negotiations, has said he is willing to hold discussions with Iranian representatives.
One of the Iraqi political officials said: "These talks will provide a basis for starting to solve the problem."
"Iran obviously is a key," Iraq's ambassador to Britain, Saleh al-Shaikhly, told CNN. "Why else would the United States want to talk to Iran?"
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