BAGHDAD, 27 August 2006 — Hundreds of Iraq’s tribal chiefs yesterday signed a “pact of honor,” pledging to support the prime minister’s national reconciliation plan on wiping out sectarian strife and terrorism tearing the country.
At least 10 people were killed yesterday, including a woman translator working for the British Consulate in Basra, Iraq’s second largest city.
“Realizing the gravity of the situation our country is undergoing, we pledge in front of God and the Iraqi people to be sincere and serious in preserving the unity of our country,” said the pact signed by tribal leaders and sheiks at a national conference.
The chiefs also pledged to “work hard to stop the bloodletting and...sectarian killings that have nothing to do with our values.” A representative read out the agreement, which he described as a “pact of honor,” on live television.
Tribes wield considerable influence in Iraqi society, especially among rural people for whom bonds of the clan are vital. But like all other institutions in Iraq, tribal affiliations sometimes can also be tenuous. Although the pact is unlikely to bring peace to Iraq, it is an important step toward winning support in this divided nation for Prime Minister Nour Al-Maliki’s 24-point reconciliation plan unveiled last month.
Maliki’s Shiite-dominated unity government is struggling to control the sectarian violence and a Sunni Arab insurgency that have together claimed about 10,000 lives since it took office in May.
Maliki said in a speech to open the chiefs’ conference earlier yesterday that US forces are unlikely to withdraw until Iraqis unite.
“These tribes have to play a significant role in fighting terrorists, saboteurs and infiltrators,” he said.
“Liberating the country from any foreign existence and controlling the enemies can’t be achieved without a real national unity among Iraqis and this is the role for our tribes,” said Maliki, a Shiite, touching on the widespread displeasure over the US presence here.
But reconciliation seems a distant goal for now as none of the major Sunni insurgent groups has publicly agreed to join the plan. Also, many of the Shiite militias are controlled by legislators themselves.
Iraq’s minister for national dialogue, Akram al-Hakim, told state television that other meetings would be held to bring together clerics, army officers and civil and political groups.
