LAT: Sunnis See Iran's Hand in Call for Iraq Federalism

[DeepModem Mom]

Sunnis See Iran's Hand in Call for Federalism
That perception has fed fear that autonomy for Shiites would fragment Iraq. Tehran has voiced support for the political integrity of its neighbor.

By Borzou Daragahi, Times Staff Writer


BAGHDAD — As the deadline bore down on Iraqi leaders drafting a new constitution, some participants said a deal seemed within reach. Then out of nowhere, they said, came a demand from a key Shiite politician.

Abdelaziz Hakim, the leader of the main party in the powerful Shiite parliamentary bloc, spoke before a crowd of supporters Aug. 11 in Najaf and called for a Shiite autonomous region consisting of Iraq's nine oil-rich southern provinces. Hakim, who once headed a militia trained and nurtured by Iran's hard-line Revolutionary Guard, called the mini-state a "sacred" goal.

Sunni Arabs were flabbergasted when Hakim's political allies brought up the issue at constitutional negotiations. Long suspicious of Iran's intentions, they charged that the Shiite theocracy was trying to meddle in Iraq's internal affairs....

***

Iraqis in impoverished southern provinces have long said they would like more control over local resources and revenue. They sit atop most of Iraq's energy reserves, but their cities and villages were neglected for decades under successive Sunni-led governments in Baghdad.

But Sunnis fear that the federalism advocated by Hakim is a trick to give Iran de facto control over the south....


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iran21aug21,0,301518.story?coll=la-home-world

[whistle]

1. Bush administration and the neo-cons have never cared about...

...the plight of the Sunnis, look what they allowed after Gulf War One.

[maddezmom]

2. AP: Iraq Sunnis Urge U.S., U.N. to Block Draft

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050821/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[Media_Lies_Daily]

3. A page straight out of the NeoCon propaganda manual.