Baghdad - The Iraqi government is planning a party.
On 30 June, Iraqis will celebrate the withdrawal of US soldiers
from their cities and towns. But while many in Baghdad say they are
pleased to see the US soldiers leave, some say they are also
concerned that longstanding, bitter disputes among Iraqis may flare
when US soldiers step back.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has declared the 'blessed day'
a public holiday in celebration of the partial US withdrawal and of
the anniversary of the 1920 revolt against the British occupation of
Iraq.
The planned US withdrawal will be 'a testament to the success of
the Iraqi government,' al-Maliki said last week.
'There may be some acts of violence and attempts to murder members
of the Iraqi forces, but they stand ready,' he said.
'Yes, it will be a day for celebration, but the situation is still
fragile,' Samir al-Shamari, a 41-year-old civil servant, told the
German Press Agency dpa.
'There are still great disagreements among the parties,' he said.
'They all will need to exert self-discipline and think of the greater
good to avoid any surprises when the US soldiers leave.'
'The Iraqi forces have not been truly Iraqi forces these past
years,' said Abbas al-Bayati, a member of the Iraqi parliament's
committee on defence and security.
'Their motions throughout the country have been dependent on the
good will of the political parties, and, particularly in areas most
prone to terrorist attacks, on close cooperation with the US forces,'
he said.
'In particularly tense areas, where there is a particular risk of
terrorist attacks, cooperation between US and Iraqi forces will be
especially close. The amount of cooperation will be determined by the
extent of the terrorist threat in an area,' al-Bayati said.
'But the important thing is that the commander of the Iraqi forces
will truly be the commander,' he added. 'He will not have to ask
anyone's permission to take necessary action, but will be beholden
only to the constitution and the relevant laws.'
Al-Bayati noted the rapid increase in the number of Iraqi
policemen, soldiers and intelligence officers, and said he looked
forward to the day when Iraq had its own air force and air defence
systems.
But some worry that in the absence of a political solution to the
many burning issues that continue to divide Iraqis, the armed forces
will become politicized.
For the sake of short-term peace and stability, the government has
so far delayed serious discussion on status of Kirkuk and other areas
claimed by Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern
Iraq.
Likewise, a dispute still simmers over amendments to the
constitution that would allow hundreds of thousands of former
low-ranking Baath Party members to return to public-sector jobs they
lost in the post-war government's 'de-Baathification' programme.
'The US administration has said the withdrawal of US troops will
force Iraqi politicians not to create problems and return Iraq to
'square one',' Farqad Hamid, a 36-year-old engineer, said.
'But the people don't trust the leaders,' Hamid said. 'They're
isolated, and they're in the pocket of outsiders who don't want
what's best for the country.'
Your Talkback on this Story