The Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki has expressed fears that a failure on the part of the parliament to pass a draft oil law by the end of June may lead the Americans to withdraw their support to his government, effectively ousting him.
The legislative body is yet to take up the draft measure for a fair distribution of the nation’s oil wealth. This is only one of the several benchmarks set by the US.
It is also believed by some of al-Maliki’s supporters that the US wants an Iraqi government in place by the end of this year that would be acceptable to the country’s Sunni Arab neighbors, particularly Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt.
Moreover, they want that government to be secular and inclusive, one of al-Maliki’s associates said. This is aimed at turning the rebel Sunni tribal groups in favour of a reconciliation and formation of a national government.
Countries like Saudi Arabia have fears that al-Maliki could become a puppet of Iran, the Shiite theocracy on Iraq’s eastern border.
America is reported to be working closely with Sunni Arab governments to goad them into playing a greater role in Iraq, particularly in pacifying and reining in the Sunni insurgents there. The Sunni insurgency has killed thousands of Americn soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqi Shiites.
Apparently, the US is quite frustrated because al-Maliki has not effectively ousted the Sadrists, has not passed the oil law yet, and reportedly there is no genuine effort on reconciliation and plans to hold new regional elections.
The major Sunni bloc in parliament and the Allawi loyalists in the Shiite bloc are openly opposed to the draft oil law.
Al-Maliki is committed to meeting the deadlines on all these, one of his associates said. But, it has also been known that their leader can not continue in power without US support.
