Major Step Taken Toward Iraqi Reconciliation
According to this AFP article, a major first step towards national Iraqi reconciliation was taken Wednesday. Couple this news with the show of solidarity Sunni and Shia clerics sent in attending Christmas mass and it’s safe to assume that national reconciliation. Here’s what AFP is reporting:
The Iraqi cabinet on Wednesday approved a draft law that offers a general pardon to thousands of detainees held in US and Iraqi prisons in a bid to boost national reconciliation, an official told AFP.
“The draft law offering amnesty to detainees who are innocent was approved by the cabinet and forwarded to parliament today,” said Sadiq al-Rikabi, an adviser to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
Thousands of detainees, mostly Sunni Arabs, are being held in US and Iraqi prisons without formal charges. Most have been detained for more than a year on suspicion of backing insurgency in Iraq.
Obviously, there’s need to shepherd this legislation through the Iraqi Parliament but it’s a welcome first formal step in the march towards national reconciliation. Here’s what Reuters is reporting on the reconciliation process:
“The cabinet has passed the general pardon law, which will define who is eligible to be freed from all prisons, both Iraqi and American,” spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Reuters.
The law still needs to be approved by parliament.
Iraq’s national security adviser, Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, said earlier this month that the draft law was aimed at boosting reconciliation between majority Shi’ite and Sunni Arab Muslims, locked in a cycle of violence.
If this bill passes, it’ll be a major accomplishment for the Maliki government. It’ll also be a major victory for the Bush administration. It’ll essentially eliminate Iraq as a weapon Democrats can use on Republicans.
Captain Ed is all over this, too, saying:
The National Assembly will probably take this up quickly, but will chew on it for a while to fine-tune the thresholds for release. Everyone knows that the current detention levels are unsustainable, and the question will be who gets released, and when. It will prove another significant step towards reconciliation, something that will cheer Americans …. if they get to read about it.
Whether they rely on the so-called MSM or if they’re getting their news from the internet, the American people will hear about this. It’s simply a matter of when, not if, they’ll hear about it. When reconciliation passes the Iraqi Parliament, rest assured that Rush, Hannity, Glenn Beck and Hugh Hewitt will be all over it. When they jump on that accomplishment, it’ll be all over except the shouting.
Technorati Tags: Iraq, Reconciliation, Iraqi Parliament, New Media, Rush Limbaugh
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog