Iraqi bishop: new government and foreign forces to "discipline" Iraq
Mgr Rabban Al-of Ahmadiyah, in the north, explains why the presence of foreign troops is so important: to stem sectarian violence, to control borders and to maintain what has already been built. Tomorrow, the appointed premier al Maliki faces a vote of confidence.
Amadiyah (AsiaNews) Foreign forces are needed in Iraq, in Baghdad and in the south, said the Chaldean Bishop of Amadiyah and Erbil, Mgr Rabban Al Qas.
He is convinced that the presence of foreign military troops "is necessary not only to stem violence of a religious nature, instigated from outside, but also to maintain what has been gradually built."
Was the war a mistake? The bishop claimed that Iraq would be "far worse off now without US intervention". He said: "Italian and US troops, like all those deployed in the country, are important even for border controls, especially with Iran and Turkey, where arms and militias come through.
"International media only show bombs and explosions, which alas are a reality, but they are not the only one: there are also those who are slowly building and who are confidently waiting for the biggest step, that is, the formation of a new government." For the bishop, "only a new government, initially backed by a great force, will be able to discipline Iraq For the moment, we are waiting."
The time is drawing near. Tomorrow the appointed prime minister, the Shiite
Nuri Al Maliki, will present his government in parliament for a vote of confidence. The names of his ministers debated by the Shiite, Sunni and Kurd components of the parliament in Baghdad since the beginning of the legislature appear to have been decided. According to leaked information, even the two most contested portfolios have been assigned: home affairs and defence. The first should go to a Shiite general, Naser Dahham Al Amery and the second to a Sunni, also a general, Baraa al Rubey. Anyhow sources from the Kurdish coalition, say there is "agreement about most ministers, but there are still divergences about some."
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