"I announce the withdrawal of my nomination (for the post) to Abadi, to preserve for the high interests of the country, and will stay a soldier fighting for the sake of Iraq and its people," Maliki said in a televised speech with Abadi beside him and a number of Maliki's Dawa Party members.
"I will not be the reason for spilling a drop of blood, despite unfairness," Maliki said referring to what he named earlier violation to the constitution by the Iraqi President Fuad Masoum who named Abadi to form the country's new government.
According media reports, Maliki made his decision after a meeting between him and Abadi with mediation by the country's Vice President Khudhair al-Khuzaie and the former prime minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, who is also a leading figure in the powerful Iraqi National Alliance, a major Shiite bloc.
Maliki has been under growing pressure to give up his effort to stay on as the head of government as the political blocs prefer a new prime minister that is acceptable for the Kurds and Sunnis, while the United States and the regional power Iran have also insisted that it is the time he step aside, and vowed their supports for Abadi.
His eventual departure followed several days in which he insisted on his right to form a new government based on the results of a parliamentary election in late April.
However, it still remains unclear whether the announcement could help unite all sects in the conflict-ridden country that still is trying to cope with the extremist Sunni insurgency headed by the Islamist State, an al-Qaida breakaway group.
So far, the Sunni militants are in control of major areas of five Iraqi provinces, after launching an offensive in June that swept aside security forces.
http://english.cntv.cn/2014/08/15/ARTI1408058854021307.shtml
15/8/14
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Related:
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Peshmerga forces (Kurdish fighters) receive US and France weaponry
Iraq's Kurds push for independence referendum (Massoud Barzani on Thursday instructed Kurdish lawmakers to prepare a referendum).
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Maliki quits as PM to end deadlock...
ReplyDeleteIraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has resigned, in a move observers hope will end a political crisis in Baghdad.
Haider al-Abadi, a deputy speaker of parliament, has been asked by Iraq's president to form a government.
Mr Maliki's earlier refusal to resign after eight years in power had been blamed for deepening the crisis. The UN and US have welcomed his resignation.
The government has been unable to stop Islamist fighters from seizing vast areas in northern Iraq.
The offensive by the self-styled Islamic State (IS), a Sunni Muslim jihadist group formerly known as Isis, has triggered a security and humanitarian crisis, driving an estimated 1.2 million Iraqis from their homes.........................http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28798033
15/8/14
U.S., U.N. hail Iraq’s Maliki for stepping down...
ReplyDeleteThe United States and the United Nations on Thursday commended Iraq’s outgoing Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for stepping down to preserve unity of the country in a televised address.
The Obama administration called it a milestone that sets the stage for a peaceful transition of power which could unite Iraqis against the security threat from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants.
After initially struggling to stay in power, Nouri al-Maliki relinquished his post late Thursday to a fellow Dawa Party member, Haider al-Abadi, which Secretary of State John Kerry called an “important and honorable decision.”
“We urge Mr. Abadi and all Iraqi leaders to move expeditiously to complete this process, which is essential to pulling the country together and consolidating the efforts of Iraq’s many diverse communities against the common threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria,” Kerry said, using the former name of the militant group.
Kerry said the U.S. stands ready to partner with a new Iraqi government to counter the Islamic State threat, “and we will encourage other countries in the region and international community to do the same.”
President Barack Obama’s national security adviser, Susan Rice, echoed Kerry’s remarks, saying the U.S. remained committed to a strong partnership with Iraq and its people.................http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/08/15/State-TV-Iraq-s-Prime-Minister-Maliki-announces-resignation.html
15/8/14