.Sectarian accusations fly in Iraq's parliament
BAGHDAD, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Sectarian tensions that are pushing Iraq to the brink of civil war erupted in parliament on Tuesday when two prominent figures from Shi'ite and Sunni Arab parties traded angry accusations of inciting violence.
In an unusually heated exchange in parliament shown on live television, Jalal al-Deen al-Saghir of the Shi'ite Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) clashed with outspoken Sunni Arab politician Adnan al-Dulaimi.
Saghir complained that Shi'ites living in two mainly Sunni neighbourhoods in Baghdad, Adil and Jamiaa, were enduring violence that was driving them to seek the protection of militias and "opening the door to those who want revenge".
"What has happened will open the gates of hell," Saghir said. "People will lose faith in this institution (parliament) and then there will be no choice but to turn to the militias."
Attacks on Shi'ites by Sunni insurgents linked to al Qaeda and reprisals by both sides have surged since the February bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in Samarra. Thousands have fled their homes in neighbourhoods where they were the minority sect.
Sunni Arabs accuse Shi'ite militias, including the Badr Brigades, an Iranian-trained militia force linked to SCIRI, of running death squads, a charge they deny.
Washington has urged Shi'ite Islamist Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to disband militias, but Maliki has said he needs more time and his priority is fighting Sunni insurgents.
"We all demand militias be disbanded, but where is the serious desire to root out the causes that push people to carry weapons?" Saghir said. "We make speeches, but in practice we find people here in parliament who incite (violence)."
CONSPIRACY
Saghir did not identify anyone in the chamber, but his comments sparked an angry reaction from Dulaimi, head of the Sunni Accordance Front, the largest Sunni bloc in parliament.
"Everything Sheikh Jalal (Saghir) says is not true," Dulaimi said. "Sheikh Jalal is one of the sources of sectarian strife. He shouldn't talk like this. This is a conspiracy against us."
A furious Dulaimi said he was treated with disrespect "like Iranians and Jews". "Our mosques are burned and violated and our sons are killed everywhere," he added.
In July, Dulaimi led a boycott of parliament after a female colleague was kidnapped in a Shi'ite area of Baghdad.
Dulaimi was at the heart of another row in parliament when one of his bodyguards was arrested in September.
U.S. officials said the man may have plotted car bombings in the Green Zone, which houses the Iraqi government and many foreign embassies, but stressed Dulaimi himself was not involved.
Reuters
In an unusually heated exchange in parliament shown on live television, Jalal al-Deen al-Saghir of the Shi'ite Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) clashed with outspoken Sunni Arab politician Adnan al-Dulaimi.
Saghir complained that Shi'ites living in two mainly Sunni neighbourhoods in Baghdad, Adil and Jamiaa, were enduring violence that was driving them to seek the protection of militias and "opening the door to those who want revenge".
"What has happened will open the gates of hell," Saghir said. "People will lose faith in this institution (parliament) and then there will be no choice but to turn to the militias."
Attacks on Shi'ites by Sunni insurgents linked to al Qaeda and reprisals by both sides have surged since the February bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in Samarra. Thousands have fled their homes in neighbourhoods where they were the minority sect.
Sunni Arabs accuse Shi'ite militias, including the Badr Brigades, an Iranian-trained militia force linked to SCIRI, of running death squads, a charge they deny.
Washington has urged Shi'ite Islamist Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to disband militias, but Maliki has said he needs more time and his priority is fighting Sunni insurgents.
"We all demand militias be disbanded, but where is the serious desire to root out the causes that push people to carry weapons?" Saghir said. "We make speeches, but in practice we find people here in parliament who incite (violence)."
CONSPIRACY
Saghir did not identify anyone in the chamber, but his comments sparked an angry reaction from Dulaimi, head of the Sunni Accordance Front, the largest Sunni bloc in parliament.
"Everything Sheikh Jalal (Saghir) says is not true," Dulaimi said. "Sheikh Jalal is one of the sources of sectarian strife. He shouldn't talk like this. This is a conspiracy against us."
A furious Dulaimi said he was treated with disrespect "like Iranians and Jews". "Our mosques are burned and violated and our sons are killed everywhere," he added.
In July, Dulaimi led a boycott of parliament after a female colleague was kidnapped in a Shi'ite area of Baghdad.
Dulaimi was at the heart of another row in parliament when one of his bodyguards was arrested in September.
U.S. officials said the man may have plotted car bombings in the Green Zone, which houses the Iraqi government and many foreign embassies, but stressed Dulaimi himself was not involved.
Reuters
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