Veto of law on powersharing a 'setback' to US Iraq agenda

IRAQ:A POWERFUL Iraqi Shia faction yesterday denounced the rejection by Shia vice-president Adel Abdul Mahdi of legislation laying down powersharing arrangements between the central and provincial governments.

Nassar al-Rubaie, a deputy for the faction loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, accused Mr Abdul Mahdi, who belongs to a rival party, of behaving in a dictatorial fashion.

The veto, cast on Wednesday, is seen as a "setback" by US intelligence director Mike McConnell, since it could stall US efforts to promote reconciliation between Iraq's three main communities. The law was the third of 18 US tasks aimed at restoring Iraqi unity so far addressed by the government of Nuri al-Maliki.

The rejected law, passed in a trade-off package with the $48 billion (€32 billion) 2008 budget and legislation providing for the release of prisoners, will be referred back to the national assembly for revision. Although the other two measures were approved, the veto could elicit calls for reconsideration of the entire package and lead to postponement of provincial elections set to be held by October. This would suit Kurdish and Shia factions that won disproportionate power in a 2005 election boycotted by Sunnis, secularists and Sadrists. The assembly can override a council veto with a two-thirds majority vote, but deep factional divisions make this unlikely.

Under the constitution, legislation has to be submitted for approval to the three-member presidential council after adoption by the legislature. The council consists of President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, Sunni vice-president Tareq al-Hashimi, and Mr Abdul Mahdi, who objects to a provision in the law giving Baghdad the right to dismiss provincial governors. He belongs to the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC), which insists that this power should reside with provincial legislatures.

SIIC also proposes the formation of a super-Shia region comprising nine southern provinces. The Kurds, determined to preserve their autonomy, take a similar line. While most Iraqi Arabs accept the reality of Kurdish self-rule in the three Kurdish provinces, they reject SIIC's demand for a Shia autonomous region.

SIIC spokesman Nasir Ani argued that certain provisions of the rejected law violated the constitution and said that the council "has the right to object to laws presented by parliament". But Mr al-Rubaie called the veto "illegal" and said it reflected different visions of the future Iraq. "There are two wills in Iraq. One that wants to strengthen the centre and another that does not."

While SIIC and the Kurds want a weak federation, Sadrists, Sunnis, secularists and Mr al-Maliki's Dawa party insist strong central government is essential.