Maliki Warns Iraq Division Would Spark Bloody Civil War
State of Law Coalition head Nouri al-Maliki warns Iraq faces war threats and that any attempt to divide the country would trigger bloody conflict among its components.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Nouri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition, warned that Iraq stands at the heart of the region’s crises and faces plots, targeting, and the threat of war, adding that any attempt to divide the country would ignite a bloody conflict among its components.
Speaking in an address on Friday, about developments in the region, Maliki said Iraq lives amid the crises of the region and has been drawn into the center of the storm.
“We ask God to keep the country and its people away from tensions,” he said. “The region we live in is boiling, and no one knows what will happen tomorrow. Iraq, too, has come face to face with the threat of war, conspiracy, and targeting.”
The State of Law Coalition leader cautioned against rumors and proposals calling for the division of the country.
“Today, when this issue is raised, it is spoken of in terms of the importance of defeating Iran and dismantling Iraq. They have named it ‘the partition of Iraq,’ like the former Yugoslavia, which was divided,” Maliki said. “The idea of partitioning Iraq was put forward by the second man in America.”
Maliki stressed that dividing Iraq is not an easy process and would lead to internal clashes. “If they want to divide Iraq, that means stoking strife and war between Sunnis and Shia, Kurds and Arabs, and Turkmen and Christians,” he said.
Turning to the domestic situation, Maliki defended the continued existence of the provincial councils.
“Do not listen to those voices speaking of dissolving the provincial councils, because they do not appreciate their importance,” he said. “The existence of these councils is a constitutional obligation, and we will not allow their dissolution.”