Iraq Political News: Government meeting protesters’ demands

The government has taken a new initiative to calm down Sunni Muslim protests that have swept major towns in central Iraq.

Tens of thousands of people have been demonstrating mainly in the provinces of Anbar, Nineveh and Salahudeen at what they see as marginalization by the Shiite Muslim-dominated government.

The protesters have been demanding the scrapping of laws that allow security forces summary arrests on suspicion of terror and integration into the public sector of the personnel who served within the ranks disbanded former army, security and intelligence organizations.

The whole structure of the Baath party, which ruled the country for more than three decades, was also dismantled.

The measures caused anger and led to mass unemployment particularly among the Iraqi Sunnis and were reported to have fueled the upsurge in violence that immediately followed the 2003-U.S. invasion of Iraq.

The demonstrators have made the return of those sacked to their jobs among their top priorities.

The government, in a conciliatory sign, has decided to tackle the issue related to the dismantling of former army, security organs and the Baath party in a process known as ‘de-baathification’.

The government has agreed to reconsider the policy by putting to work or on pension tens of thousands of people who were sacked for being members of the Baath party, the former army or security organs.

Some 35,000 of former Baath party members and army personnel will soon return to their former jobs or go on pension.

Saleh Mutlik, the official who the government appointed to see to the demonstrators’ demands, says his commission has completed the lists and will soon make them public.

“This measure will make it possible to fill in many vacancies in the public sector and also do justice to those who cannot be employed by putting them on pension,” Mutlik said.

He said the government was keen to go the extra mile in efforts to respond to the ‘legitimate’ demands the protesters have put forth.

The efforts by Mutlik so far have calmed down demonstrators’ fury and spurred some tribal chieftains in the Sunni heartland to declare their allegiance to the government.

Mutlik says he has drawn a comprehensive plan for reconciliation in the country ‘to solve all political and security problems the government is facing.”

Source: Azzaman