The inauguration of a broad-based governing coalition of
Shi'ites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds on Saturday signifies Iraq's final
step towards full political sovereignty.
But this step remains incomplete due to the absence of two key
ministers overseeing the military and the police.
However, the inauguration has shattered the deadlock that had
paralyzed Iraq's government since the December election. Hopes are
pinned on the administration, headed by Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki, a Shi'ite from the conservative Islamic Dawa party, to
begin to bring stability to the country fractured by three years of
incessant violence.
In the final count, the conservative Shi'ite United Iraqi
Alliance (UIA), which has 130 of the 275 parliamentary seats, took
the lion's share of the 37 ministries, including some of the most
powerful ones. The UIA controls 17 ministries. The Kurdish Alliance
gained six, the Sunni Arab National Concord Front took five
ministries, and former Premier Iyad Allawi's secular list also
received five.
The pledge made by al-Maliki on Sunday to resort to "maximum
force" if necessary to end insurgency and sectarian violence in his
country is a loud response to the past, present and future.
A bombing that killed more than a dozen people in downtown
Baghdad accompanied the formation of the new government, a fresh
reminder of the immensity of the task it has to deal with.
Disarming militias, whose members are believed to have
infiltrated the security services, will top al-Maliki's agenda,
along with promoting national reconciliation, improving the
country's collapsing infrastructure and establishing a special
protection force for Baghdad.
Nouri al-Maliki called on Iraqis to "denounce terrorism" and
"establish an atmosphere of love and tolerance."
The new cabinet is a broad representation of Iraq's ethnic
groups and religions, laying an important foundation for consensus
and good governance.
This step is significant in building a new Iraq. The governance
of the al-Maliki administration will decide when the United States,
Britain and their allies withdraw their troops from the
country.
Al-Maliki said he wants to accelerate the pace at which army and
police recruits are trained to speed up the withdrawal of US-led
forces from Iraq.
The positive reaction from Arab countries such as Jordan and
Kuwait to the new government shows the weight of Iraq's situation.
A new Iraq where its people can enjoy a better life, democracy,
political pluralism and national unity contributes to security and
stability in the Middle East.
Building such a country depends on whether the members of the
new government members can close ranks and exploit their
capabilities.
(China Daily May 23, 2006)
