Allawi Gambit Gilbert Achcar Writes In

Allawi Gambit

Gilbert Achcar writes in an email:

Today’s (3/3) Al-Hayat quotes Allawi’s conditions for any agreement on the government:

“to keep the security apparatuses in their present formula; no interference from the [Shia parties’] militias in their functioning; to prevent regional and neighboring states [not the US, of course!] from interfering in Iraq’s domestic affairs; to recognize the [Bremer-devised]Transitional Administrative Law as the main reference of the state, and not to allow its revision.”

According to the same article in Al-Hayat, Allawi is offering Chalabi’s group within the UIA — Chalabi, formerly Washington’s man, is bitter against al-Jaafari’s designation as the UIA’s candidate to head the future government, after having tried to get himself nominated — to form an alliance which could try to get the 2/3 majority in alliance with the Kurdish bloc.

Allawi is very active at trying to form a 2/3 bloc (he even offered the Iraqi Communist Party 2 MPs to join — the ICP is considering the offer!), though this prospect is quite difficult to achieve and, if successful, would lead to a severe deterioration of the already strained relations between the Shia parties + Sistani and the occupation.