Iraq In Dire Need Of Natˈl Consensus To Fight Back ISIL Militants: Daily

Tehran, June 19, IRNA - An English-language paper on Thursday commenting on the ongoing crisis in Iraq suggested that the need of the hour is an alliance among various political parties to safeguard the countryˈs national interests and tackle the ISIL crisis. The current developments in Iraq coupled with the political and security turmoil created by the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants, who are now in control of several cities and towns in the north, have aroused grave concerns about the future of the crisis-hit country, ˈIran Dailyˈ said in its Opinion column. A close look at Iraq’s situation in the last decade indicates that insecurity has always been a fixed element of developments in the country. But in the current situation, insecurity is only a segment of an unfolding crisis, the paper added. Now parts of Iraq have come under attack and seized by insurgents. In fact, Iraq’s territorial integrity has been targeted. The ongoing mayhem and widespread bloodshed indicates that essential steps have not been taken to reorganize the security structure of Iraq and its army in the past decade. The situation on the ground shows Iraq’s military capabilities are not advanced enough to respond to a crisis at this scale, noted the daily. Meanwhile, criticisms by certain Sunni leaders including Usama al-Nujayfi, the speaker of the Council of Representatives, who directly attacked Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, show that political tensions have been a major factor for a lack of unity among Iraq’s politicians to act against ISIL militants, it added. The current situation has prompted discussions about the partition of Iraq into 3 Shia, Sunni and Kurdish regions. Nechirvan Barzani, the prime minister of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, recently called for the division of the country. Barzani has said resolving the crisis will require the stepping down of the prime minister in Baghdad and autonomy for Sunni Arabs. Such comments are made as some political parties see the situation favorable for putting forward their unreasonable demands. This is while the beleaguered country is more than ever in need of national unity, stressed the paper. However, there seems little likelihood for the partition of Iraq as there is not a public demand for it. Segregation based on religion and ethnicity could plunge Iraq into a state of constant turmoil and seriously threaten its sovereignty. Partition will not bear fruit for those who are after it, underlined the paper. Iraq needs a national consensus at such a delicate juncture to fight back ISIL militants and drive them out of the country. Political and religious leaders can play a pivotal role to create a national front against the ongoing insurgency, suggested the paper. It is not that difficult to put an end to the ISIL crisis. It should be kept in mind such a crisis cannot compromise Iraq’s integrity unless it drags on, pushing pro-partition parties to make louder calls for segregation, concluded the paper./end