[Marxism] Thousands of Iraqis demand end to U.S. occupation

[Walter Lippmann <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

("Sunnis, Shiites and ethnic Kurds spoke at the rally 
in a square near Mustansiriya University in east Baghdad, 
denouncing the U.S.-Iraqi security pact.")
==========================================================

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq19-2008oct19,0,222008.story
From the Los Angeles Times
Muqtada Sadr urges Iraq lawmakers to reject U.S. troop deal
Thousands of supporters rally in Baghdad. A statement from the Shiite cleric 
calls on parliament: 'Do not betray your people.'
By Ned Parker and Usama Redha
Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

October 19, 2008

BAGHDAD â Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada Sadr warned Iraqi lawmakers
that approving a U.S. troop agreement would be tantamount to a
betrayal of the Iraqi people, as his supporters rallied Saturday
against the deal.

As many as 20,000 protesters shouted, "No, no, America!" in a
visceral display of the deep apprehension among Iraqis over the
security pact that would extend the U.S. military presence in Iraq
after a United Nations mandate expires in December.

Iraqi officials, even those close to the Americans, have been
reluctant to back a deal that could effectively label them a puppet
of foreign powers. The government's close relationship with the
Americans has enhanced the stature of Sadr, who has refused to
cooperate with U.S. officials.

"They have portrayed this agreement in a manner as if it would end
the presence of the occupation on our land, but the occupiers will
remain with their bases, and anyone who tells you that this agreement
will make us sovereign is a liar," Sadr said in a statement that was
read by Sheik Abdul Hadi Mohamedawi to a sea of people waving red,
white and black Iraqi flags.

"I know for a fact, my brothers in parliament, that you will favor
the opinion of your people over the opinion of the occupier. Do not
betray your people."

Sunnis, Shiites and ethnic Kurds spoke at the rally in a square near
Mustansiriya University in east Baghdad, denouncing the U.S.-Iraqi
security pact.

Iraqi army checkpoints sealed off the square and nearby roads. The
demonstrators had marched almost a mile from Sadr City, the poor
district that is home to more than 2.5 million people and the nexus
of support for Sadr. One poster showed a U.S. soldier arresting an
Iraqi, with the caption "Death to America."

Protesters said they wanted the Iraqi government to hear their
voices.

"This agreement gives the Americans the right to do whatever they
want. They will impose their terms on Iraq," said Mohammed Qasem, a
teacher in Sadr City. "If the occupier leaves, Iraq will be just and
at peace."

Speakers tapped into Sadr's image as a populist who waged two
uprisings against the U.S. military in 2004. And they highlighted his
distance from Iraq's ruling clique in the fortress-like Green Zone,
home to both the Iraqi government and U.S. officials.

"Repeat after me loudly, because we want the people in the Green Zone
to hear it: Baghdad is free, free, free. America out, out, out," one
supporter urged the crowd.

But the failure to attract a larger crowd was testament to the
pressure on the movement since Sadr declared a freeze on his Mahdi
Army militia last year. Since then, Sadr City has been surrounded by
concrete walls and his supporters complain that they have been
targeted by Iraqi and U.S. forces.

Nonetheless, leaders told the crowd that more than 4 million people
were protesting around the country Saturday -- a claim that elicited
cheers from the crowd.

Progress on the security agreement, which the U.S. had hoped to
complete by the end of July, has stalled. A meeting Friday of Iraq's
political blocs to review the latest draft, which calls for U.S.
forces to leave Iraq at the end of 2011 unless Iraq chooses
otherwise, failed to push the agreement forward.

Haidar Abadi, a Shiite lawmaker with Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's
Islamic Dawa Party, described an atmosphere in which Iraqi officials
are afraid that a pro-agreement stance might be used against them by
their enemies. He said some lawmakers see no need to put the pact to
a vote in parliament before December.

Even some Iraqi soldiers shared Sadr's sentiment that an agreement
was bad for the Iraqis.

"They should abandon the agreement because it will oppress the Iraqi
people," said a non-commissioned officer named Abu Karar who sat in
the shade of a tree as marchers walked by.

ned.parker@xxxxxxxxxxx
+

=========================================
     WALTER LIPPMANN
     Los Angeles, California
     Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/
     "Cuba - Un ParaÃso bajo el bloqueo"
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