DAR AL ISLAM - IRAQ: AL-SADR SUPPORTERS QUIT THEIR CABINET SEATS

Iraq’s radical Shia bloc quits cabinet
By Steve Negus, Iraq Correspondent

Radical Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered six cabinet members affiliated with his movement to quit the government, the head of the Sadrists’ parliamentary bloc said on Monday.

In some ways, the move may be a blessing for Nouri al-Maliki, prime minister, who had hoped to oust Sadrist ministers believed to have connections with militias.

However, the en masse withdrawal may also be an ominous indication that the movement, which staged a large-scale insurrection in 2004, may be losing its appetite for participation in peaceful politics.

According to a statement read by Sadrist parliamentary leader Nassar al-Rubaie, the six ministers will ”withdraw immediately from the Iraqi government and give the six cabinet seats to the government, with the hope that they will be given to independents who represent the will of the people.”

The Sadrists held the ministries of health, agriculture, provincial affairs, transportation, tourism, and civil society organisations.

Mr Maliki had been trying for months to replace them, particularly the health minister, who according to US officials had allowed his ministry to be used by Shia militiamen.

However, Mr Maliki had reportedly hoped that Mr Sadr might give his blessing to a new set of ministers, rather than wash his hands of the government, as he appears to have done with Monday’s statement.

The Sadrists are a key component of the Shia-led coalition that dominates the government, and their grassroots base is much larger than that of Mr Maliki’s own al-Dawa party.

Their withdrawal comes as the gap between Mr Maliki and the Sadrists widens. Last week, the Sadrists staged demonstrations against the presence of US troops in Iraq, and threatened to pull out of government after Mr Maliki said that he had no plans to institute a timetable for their withdrawal.

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