Al-dari announces hunger strike, al-Seistani calls for halting blood-shed; one minister, two governing council members resigned
Iraq, Politics, 4/10/2004

Protests inside the governing council and the government in Iraq against the bloodshed committed by the occupation forces in the Iraqi cities were escalated yesterday with the announcement of the resignation of one minister and suspending the membership of two members in the council, amid other threats to take similar actions.

This, however, coincided with the announcement made by the Muslim scholars commission in Iraq for a three-day food strike and boycotting the American and British goods in protest of the American military operation in Falouja, strongly criticizing the governing council in Iraq while the representative of the Shiite clergy Ayatullah Ali al-Seistani called for halting the "blood shed" in Iraq.

The spokesman for the occupation authority Sam Senior announced that the Iraqi human rights minister, Abdul Baset Turkey, announced his resignation from his post, one day after the resignation of the minister of the interior Nouri Bardan, giving no reasons for the resignation.

Member in the governing council Mahmoud Othman said that the other member in the council, Abdul Karim Mahmoud al-Muhammadawi, officially suspended his membership in the council.

Meantime, well-informed sources said that the chairman of the Iraqi national reconciliation movement, Eyad Allawi, informed the US administrator of Iraq Paul Bremer that he will suspend his membership in the governing council in "protest of quitting the minister of the interior Nouri Badran." Member of the governing council Sheikh Ghazi Ojeil Elawer ( Sunni) threatened to resign from his post. He explained "if the problem of Falouja will not be settled by a peaceful solution that ensure the dignity of its people and if the US will not abide by its obligations and not responding with the problem of Falouja and if they continue to over use power and force against the people of the besieged city, I will resign my post in the governing council." He added " they should stop the use of over power. They respond to the use of a machinegun by one Iraqi with tanks, Apache planes and all weapons of the world." He questioned " how a greater state like the US puts itself in a state of war with a small village like the city of Falouja.. It is a war of extermination."

Member of the governing council Adnan al-Baja Jee condemned the besige of Falouja considering it as "not acceptable, nor legal," describing it as "a mass punishment." He added "it is not a proper action to punish the whole people of Falouja," over the mutilation of the bodies of 4 Americans in the city last week.

Meantime, chairman if the Muslim scholars commission, Sheikh Hareth al-Dari, in Friday's sermon, called on the Iraqis for general strike on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, if possible, in protest of what the US is making of acts of besiege and killing of the city of Falouja and strongly criticized members of the governing council about whom he said "they represent the will of the foreigner." Al-Dari said from Um al-Qura mosque in Baghdad " we urge our brothers to observe a sit-in on Saturday and Sunday and if possible on Monday also so as to show the occupation forces " our rejection of what is taking place in Falouja." He explained he excludes from this strike sevices circles and establishments for giving necessary services to citizen." He added that "the Sunni scholars commission issued a decision forbidding for the Iraqis to deal with the campaign for the American and British goods."

Meantime, the representative for the Shiite clergy Ayatullah Ali al-Seistani, Sheikh Ahmad al-Safi strongly denounced in Friday's sermon yesterday the resort of the occupation forces to the use of force against the Shiite fighters calling on all political and religious forces in Iraq to work for halting the " blood shed." Al-Safi criticized the position of members of the governing council concerning the current situation. He said " all those who are members in the governing council and the Cabinet to speak and not to keep silence."

Previous Stories:
  A Sunni- Shiite Unity in solidarity with al-Falouja, five Americans were killed occupation: we have lost control on Kout; al-Najaf and central Karbala   (4/9/2004)
  Independent: Saddam Hussein is in Qatar   (4/8/2004)
  Nine Americans were wounded, occupation bombards a mosque; 40 killed   (4/8/2004)

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