Countries against change in Iraq are "clones" (of the dictatorship) - al-Maliki

[sabra]

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1256632.php/EXTARA_Countries_against_change_in_Iraq_are_"clones"_-_al-Maliki

Countries against change in Iraq are "clones" - al-Maliki

Baghdad - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki accused neighbouring countries Tuesday of hindering political progress in Iraq and being afraid of 'freedom and democracy' that might spread.

Al-Maliki further described these countries as 'clones of the dictatorship' that used to rule Iraq.

Observers in the region believe al-Maliki was referring to Syria.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh had blamed the latest attacks in Iraq on Syria. A truck bomb killed at least 137 people and wounded more than 300 Saturday in central Baghdad's busy Sadriya market.

Iraq accused Syria of facilitating smuggling of weapons into Iraq and helping the entry of militants into Iraq.

[pinniped]

1. The truck was either a Toyota, Mercedes, or Volvo. Blame those countries.

.

[pampango]

2. Does Maliki think that the Syrian leadership has a problem with

a Shiite Arab government in Iraq? Does he have some reason to believe that Syria would prefer a Sunni like Saddam than himself? I keep hearing that Sunni Arab dictators throughout the Middle East are fearful of the precedent of a Shiite Arab government in Baghdad that is "democratic" (with large quotation marks.)

[Eugene]

3. That "freedom and democracy" slogan is giving the real things a bad name.

Maliki is right. The neighbors don't like the shoddily built "democracy" with its civil war,
non-functional government, mass killings, ethnic cleansing, and hundreds of thousands of
refugees. Perhaps Syria should follow Iraq's example and hand power over to its Sunni
Islamist-leaning majority.

Curious. Syria is not only blamed for Saturday's bombing, which Maliki also blames on the
"Saddamists," Syria is in league with both the Sunni insurgents and Shi'ite Iran.

[merh]

4. This from the man with a convicted terrorist (sentenced to death

for part in US & French embassy bombings) working as par to his ruling coalitions. I trust him and his judgment (NOT).

U.S. military: Iraqi lawmaker is U.S. Embassy bomber

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A man sentenced to death in Kuwait for the 1983 bombings of the U.S. and French embassies now sits in Iraq's parliament as a member of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's ruling coalition, according to U.S. military intelligence.

Jamal Jafaar Mohammed's seat in parliament gives him immunity from prosecution. Washington says he supports Shiite insurgents and acts as an Iranian agent in Iraq.

-snip-

more at http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/05/iraq.lawmaker/index.html

LBN thread here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2718660