Basra Protests Highlight Frustration Over Iranian Meddling in Iraqi Crisis

Arab countries at the Goals and China-Africa summit tactics of political Islam Page 18 Page 15 UK £2 Issue 172, Year 4 September 9, 2018 EU €2.50 www.thearabweekly.com Basra protests highlight frustration over Iranian meddling in Iraqi crisis ► Iran has sought to inflame the Basra unrest for its own benefit as more Shia voices in Iraq’s south have become critical of Tehran’s meddling in Iraqi affairs. Mamoon Alabbasi and the United Nations. The storming of the Iranian consulate was one day after the coun- London try’s Iran-backed political bloc, led by militia leader Hadi al-Amiri, ran’s influence in neighbouring called for the resignation of Prime Iraq was highlighted in the cri- Minister Haider al-Abadi’s govern- sis engulfing the southern Iraqi ment for failing to restore order to I city of Basra, where protesters Basra. torched the Iranian consulate as Amiri, whose bloc came in sec- they condemned what they said ond in May’s elections, blamed was Tehran’s control of their coun- the attacks on the headquarters try’s politicians. Some protesters of Iran-backed militias in Basra on shouted “Iran, out, out!” and others an “American-Saudi conspiracy” burned Iranian flags. to divide the country. His call for Iran’s Foreign Ministry branded Abadi’s resignation was seen as an the consulate’s storming as a “sav- attempt by the Iran-backed alliance age attack” and its Iraqi counterpart to use the Basra unrest as a pretext said the incident was “an unaccep- to take power. Game over. An Iraqi protester holds up an Iranian flag as another lights it up during protests in Basra, table act undermining the interests The bloc backed by influential on September 7. (AFP) of Iraq and its international rela- Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, which tions.” ran an anti-corruption campaign, Thousands of protesters have came in first in the election. It is had sparked the crisis by cutting off said Sarhan. Basra,” Sistani said in his sermon taken to the streets in Basra, calling seeking to form a coalition govern- its electricity and water supplies to Following the attacks on the Ira- September 7. for improving living conditions in ment with Abadi’s bloc, which was Basra,” said Salam Sarhan, an Iraqi nian consulate and other buildings “This reality cannot change if the the oil-rich city. They blame short- third. commentator. in Basra, Abadi warned that secu- next government is formed accord- ages of electricity and drinking Amiri, who is allied with the bloc Iran is also facing sanctions im- rity forces had orders to “act deci- ing to the same criteria adopted water in the city, which hosts more of former Prime Minister Nuri al- posed by the United States, which sively against the acts of vandalism when forming previous govern- than 2 million residents, on corrupt Maliki, another Iran-backed politi- Abadi said he would abide by. that accompanied the demonstra- ments. Pressure must be exerted officials. cian, reiterated his alliance’s bid to There are concerns that, if the tions.” for the new government to be dif- Provincial government buildings, form the next government instead unrest gets out of control, some Iraq’s most-revered Shia cleric ferent from its predecessors.” political party offices and militia of al-Sadr. of Iraq’s oil production could be af- Ayatollah Ali Sistani said the coun- headquarters were attacked by pro- Observers said Iran has sought to fected. “The disruption of Iraq’s oil try’s new government should carry Mamoon Alabbasi is Deputy testers. More than ten demonstra- inflame the Basra unrest for its own supply is in Iran’s favour as it would out different policies than the pre- Managing Editor and Online Editor tors have been killed in clashes with benefit as more Shia voices in Iraq’s mean that the world, including vious ones. “The failings of Iraqi of The Arab Weekly. security forces, prompting calls for south have become critical of Teh- the United States, cannot afford to political leaders in recent years restraint from human rights groups ran’s meddling in Iraqi affairs. “Iran have Iranian oil out of the market,” have caused the anger of people in P2-3 Russian-Iranian-Turkish alliance fractured at Tehran summit Thomas Seibert publicly about how to address the highly unusual step. has sponsored Sunni rebel groups Kirchner added. “Turkey is in ef- situation in Idlib. Syrian President Turkey, which has taken in more fighting Assad’s forces — the three fect telling the others: ‘I can’t help Istanbul Bashar Assad has sworn to retake than 3 million Syrian refugees, countries have been cooperating you if you are hell-bent to get your the area, which has become a sanc- says it cannot cope with a new closely. The three are united by a own way’” in Idlib. presidential summit by tuary for millions of refugees and influx that could be triggered by deep suspicion of US policies that While Erdogan warned of a Russia, Iran and Turkey tens of thousands of rebel fighters. a government offensive in Idlib. rest on military support for Syria’s “bloodbath” in Idlib, his two coun- designed to produce a Turkey was prepared to step “Attacks directed against the Idlib Kurds in eastern of Syria. terparts stressed the need to fight A solution for the last rebel in if there is a large-scale attack region will worsen the situation on Moscow has used the Astana radicals in the province. Putin stronghold in Syria has instead fis- on Idlib, Erdogan warned. “If the the ground and will bring the po- talks to push its military and po- mentioned a “phased stabilisa- sured the alliance among the three world turns a blind eye to the kill- litical process to a breaking point,” litical agenda for Syria. However, tion” in Idlib and said he hoped powers, throwing their future co- ing of tens of thousands of inno- Erdogan said. Russia needs the cooperation of “terrorist organisations will have operation into doubt. cent people to further the regime’s Turkey, a Syrian neighbour with enough common sense to stop re- An attack by Syrian government interests, we will neither watch considerable influence among sistance and lay down their weap- troops — with Russian and Iranian from the sidelines nor participate Magdalena Kirchner, Sunni groups. A Turkish with- ons.” backing — is expected in Idlib, a in such a game,” he wrote on Twit- senior analyst drawal from the Astana Process However, the Russian president at Conias Risk Syrian province on the border with ter after the Tehran meeting. Intelligence would make it difficult for Russia was not impressed by a Turkish Turkey that is the last rebel-held Erdogan earlier surprised Rohani to end the Syrian war and establish proposal to relocate some rebel area in the country after more than and Putin by proposing a ceasefire a post-war order along its own pri- groups within Idlib so they could seven years of war that has killed for Idlib during televised remarks. orities. not attack the Russian airbase more than 500,000 people. “If we declare a ceasefire here to- “The alliance was never a love “The alliance was never a love of Hmeimim with drones. Com- The tripartite meeting in Tehran day, that would be a victory for match.” match,” said Magdalena Kirchner, menting on Twitter, Yury Barmin, on September 7 ended without a this summit,” Erdogan said. Putin senior analyst at Conias Risk Intel- a Russian analyst and contributor commitment to call off the offen- swiftly rejected the proposal and ligence, referring to the coopera- for the website of the Middle East sive, frustrating a Turkish push for said the Syrian government had Russia, Iran and Turkey are part- tion between the three countries. Institute in Washington, posted: a ceasefire despite warnings by An- the right to regain control over all ners in the so-called Astana Pro- She said the partners tried to push “Russia’s expectation of how Er- kara of a collapse of the “political the country’s territory. cess, a platform of Syria talks that their political differences into the dogan is planning to handle Idlib process” for Syria. The summit’s final statement runs parallel to UN efforts to end background as fighting raged in will be growing.” During the summit, the presi- ignored Erdogan’s call, prompt- the fighting in Syria. Despite being different parts of Syria that have dents of Russia, Iran and Turkey, ing the Turkish leader to blast the on opposing sides in the conflict been declared “de-escalation Thomas Seibert is an Arab Weekly Vladimir Putin, Hassan Rohani and communique during a news con- — Russia and Iran are major sup- zones” by the Astana powers. correspondent. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, sparred ference with Putin and Rohani, a porters of Damascus while Turkey “At some point, you can’t go on,” P4 2 September 9, 2018 Cover Story Iraq Power struggle delays formation of new Iraqi government Manuel Langendorf London he Iraqi parliament con- vened for the first time since the May elections, the T first in forming a new government. However, it failed to elect a speaker amid competing claims about who had pulled together the largest electoral bloc. The question of the largest bloc was referred to the federal court and the provisional speaker post- poned the next session until Sep- tember 15. A flurry of political manoeuvring preceded the first parliamentary session with two competing blocs announcing they had enough MPs to form a government. The first claim was from an alliance led by Muqtada al-Sadr and caretaker Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

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