Maliki opens doors for Saddam’s military men

BAGHDAD (Iraq)—Iraq’s army has “opened its doors” to all former members of Saddam Hussein’s army, the prime minister said Saturday at a national reconciliation conference boycotted by one of his main Shiite allies, a major Sunni group and Iraq’s exiled opposition.
Despite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s effort to reach out to Iraq’s Sunni Arabs and some former members of Saddam’s outlawed Baath Party, the gathering was overshadowed by rising sectarian tensions and political divisions. The radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, one of al-Maliki’s key political backers — refused to attend the meeting, as did a major Sunni group and former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite.
The U.S. military raided the Shiite slum of Sadr City — a stronghold for the Mahdi Army militia that is blamed for some of the worst violence against Iraq’s Sunnis — and detained six suspects. The raid and airstrike left one fighter dead and another wounded. “We firmly believe that national reconciliation is the only guaranteed path toward security, stability and prosperity. The alternative, God forbid, is death and destruction and the loss of Iraq,” said al-Maliki, whose time in office have been defined by a surge in sectarian violence and failure to end an insurgency, improve services or reduce high crime and unemployment rates.
Some Baath Party members not linked to the Sunni-led insurgency, as well as former army officers, were among the delegates, organizers said. Al-Maliki reached out to the officers and soldiers who lost their posts after the U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam nearly four years ago.
He imposed few conditions on the return of former military personnel, only cautioning that those allowed to serve in the new army should be loyal to the country and conduct themselves professionally. He also said the size of the army might limit the number accepted but those unable to join would be given pensions.
Two aides to al-Maliki, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to disclose information to the media, said Saddam-era officers could apply to be reinstated regardless of their rank. But they said admission would depend on their professional and physical suitability for service as well as the extent of their links to the Baath Party.
The government had previously invited former officers up to the rank of major to join the new army. The outreach and pension offer were apparent concessions to a long-standing demand by Sunni Arab politicians who argue that the neglect of former army soldiers was pushing them into the arms of the insurgency.
The criticism was echoed in remarks by Saleem Abdullah, a spokesman for the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front. “This conference can be successful if its participants have the spirit of reconciliation and the honest desire for unity,” he said, warning that the conference will end in failure “if the practical reality remains the same.” L. Paul Bremer, Iraq’s former U.S. governor, dissolved Iraq’s 400,000-strong army soon after American forces overthrew Saddam’s regime in April 2003. The decision is widely seen as a mistake because it drove many into opposition.—Agencies