A good story, but from a historical perspective, is it a good idea?


BAGHDAD, Aug. 27 — Hours after Iraq’s political leaders declared a deal to return former Baathists to government jobs, Iraq’s most senior Sunni Arab leader said Monday that it was too small an olive branch for Sunnis to rejoin the government.

The Sunni leader, Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, welcomed the “great achievement” of a compromise to ease measures imposed by the American occupation authority in 2003 to stop senior Saddam Hussein loyalists from returning to senior posts. But Mr. Hashemi said nothing had changed regarding the Aug. 1 decision by his Iraqi Islamic Party and others, which comprise the Iraqi Consensus Front, to quit the government.

The announcement on Sunday has been hailed as evidence of movement toward national reconciliation by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s widely-criticized Shiite-led administration, which is under intense international pressure to address the concerns of Iraq’s disaffected Sunni minority.

The chief measures sought by Sunni leaders are laws to ensure fair distribution of oil revenues and tougher steps to curb Shiite militias closely linked to parties within Mr. Maliki’s governing coalition.


SOURCE

The chief measures sought by Sunni leaders are laws to ensure fair distribution of oil revenues and tougher steps to curb Shiite militias closely linked to parties within Mr. Maliki’s governing coalition.

I don't see any progress coming from Maliki's government on either issue.

This is setting the Maliki govt up for a tumble, IMO.

The announcement on Sunday has been hailed as evidence of movement toward national reconciliation by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s

It's BS. Just because they let a few members back into the government, I don't think that will help. The Sunni's will just say they aren't letting enough back in so they can have a greater say, and they will revolt again. IMO.

The Iraqi Ba'athist Party started out as a socialist party, and under Saddam it became something similar to the Nazi party. As long as the members are ,ow level members that had no fingers in the running of the past govt, they may prove to be an asset. Butsince this was an American idea, I do not see Maliki trusting these guys and in so doing, alienating them and forcing more probs.

There is a lot of resentment towards their blood thirsty role in doing Saddam's strong arm tactics too, so that might not go over well.

The Shi'a will be the most pissed and I llook for them to be targetted more than any others in the near future.