Biden brings together Iraqi's

[2rth2pwr]

His plan to carve up Iraq has brought together a diverse group of Iraqi leaders and Newspapers to oppose it -


"The debate about a reply to the U.S. Senate resolution on the division of Iraq will be of top priority in Tuesday's session,"
http://66.111.34.180/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=56581&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

He pointed out (Dr. Hanin al-Qadou, a legislator from the Shiite Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC)) that the matter does not even require enacting a law because the content of the American resolution flagrantly interfered in Iraq's internal affairs, let alone its violation of the Iraqi constitution.

Qadou noted that the Iraqi constitution guarantees the country's "territorial integrity and national sovereignty," adding the Congress' resolution "can never change Iraq's settled national principles."

He said the U.S. resolution "only aimed to cause Iraq to slide into the pits of a civil war only God knows when it will end."

"It is the duty of all the national powers (in Iraq) to reject such an insolent resolution and to quickly announce their positions in the face of this trivializing with the sovereignty of Iraq," he said.

Baghdad, Oct 2, (VOI) – Iraqi newspapers on Tuesday highlighted reactions to the "non-binding" resolution approved by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday calling for dividing Iraq into federal regions.
http://66.111.34.180/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=56681&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

In its editorial the government-funded al-Sabah newspaper criticized the resolution and Senator Joseph Biden, a Democratic presidential candidate and a primary sponsor of the resolution. Praising several Iraqi factions for their unified stance against the U.S. project, the editorial called on Iraqi politicians and leaders to put their differences aside and concentrate their efforts on building a strong and modern state...

Al-Daawa newspaper, issued by the Islamic Daawa Party- Iraq Organization, highlighted statements by the secretary general of al-Mihrab Martyr Foundation, Ammar al-Hakim, who is also the deputy chairman of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC), in which announced his categorical rejection of the U.S. project. Describing it as "interference in Iraq's interior affairs," al-Hakim said that the resolution violates the sovereignty of the Iraqi state and is strongly disapproved by many Iraqi political forces.

Tareeq al-Shaab, a daily newspaper issued by the Iraqi Communist Party, published an article under the headline, 'No to dividing Iraq' by Muhannad al-Barak and another entitled 'Does the U.S. Congress have the right to divide Iraq and determine its destiny?' by Adel Abdul Zahra Shabib.

The independent daily al-Mada newspaper highlighted on its front page a fatwa (Religious edict) issued by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh in which he said that Saudis should not join jihad outside the kingdom, in reference to Saudis fighting U.S.-led forces in Iraq. "Our youth have become a commodity bought and sold by Eastern and Western agencies ... they became tools for conducting heinous acts," the grand mufti said.

[Steve_in_California]

1. Senator Biden answers his critics at home and in Iraq--in his own words.

Joe Biden|
Setting the Record Straight on Federalism in Iraq
Posted October 2, 2007 | 12:27 PM (EST)


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Last week, the Senate overwhelmingly approved the Biden-Brownback amendment to the Defense Authorization bill, which says it should be U.S. policy to support a political settlement in Iraq based upon the principles of federalism. The 75-23 bi-partisan vote, including 26 Republicans, marked the first time this year that the Senate has passed an Iraq-related policy measure.

Since then, some political leaders in Iraq have misunderstood the amendment. Instead of working to clear up any misunderstandings about the Senate amendment, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad issued a statement that dangerously mischaracterizes it.

Let's set the record straight:

First, the Biden-Brownback amendment does not call for the partition of Iraq. To the contrary, it calls for keeping Iraq together by bringing to life the federal system enshrined in its Constitution. Partition, or the complete break-up of Iraq, is something wholly different than federalism. A federal Iraq is a united Iraq, but one in which power is devolved to regional governments with a limited central government responsible for protecting Iraq's borders and oil distribution. It leaves the door open for stronger unity if and when passions cool, as we're seeing in the Balkans. Nor does the amendment call for dividing Iraq along sectarian lines. Rather, it calls for helping Iraqis implement their own Constitution, which provides for any of Iraq's 18 provinces to form regions and sets out the extensive powers of those regions and the limited powers of the central government. The result could be three regions, or four or five or more. It will be up to the Iraqi people.

Second, the amendment is not a foreign imposition. Iraqis already have made the decision to decentralize in their Constitution and federalism law. My amendment is about what the United States should do to help promote a political settlement consistent with these Iraqi decisions. Again, it will be up to the Iraqis. But the idea that the United States -- with 160,000 troops in Iraq, 3,804 dead and nearly 28,000 wounded -- does not have a right and responsibility to voice its views and to push for a political settlement is absurd.

Third, the amendment will not produce "bloodshed and suffering" in Iraq. It is hard to imagine more bloodshed and suffering than we've already seen, which has been exacerbated by the failure of Iraq's leaders to stop sectarian violence and produce a durable, widely accepted political settlement. More than 4 million Iraqis have already fled their homes for fear of sectarian violence, at a rate now of 100,000 every month. The whole purpose of my amendment is to end that bloodshed and suffering by promoting a power sharing arrangement that meets the interests of all Iraqis and gives them more local control over their daily lives.

The Bush administration is pursuing a fatally flawed policy in trying to create a strong central government in Iraq. There has been no significant reconciliation at the national level and there is no evidence that it will happen any time soon. Insisting on this failed approach will prolong and deepen Iraq's civil war, lead to a wider regional war, and irresponsibly increase the danger to over 160,000 American troops who are caught in the middle.

A few weeks ago I met top officials in Iraq -- Sunni, Shi'a and Kurdish. All of them expressed to me their support for federalism as called for in the Iraqi Constitution and its federalism law.

I believe my plan offers the best chance for the U.S. to leave Iraq without leaving chaos behind. You can read more about my plan at www.PlanForIraq.com

---Commentary from Senator Joe Biden.