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Hi, Karen, To offer some ideas about Sistani, I don’t think he
would be particularly helpful when it cam to talking with al-Qaida, but he
might be helpful in talking generally with the Muslim world. However, the
place Sistani is critical for us is in Iraq itself. Right now, we are there
at Sistani’s sufferance. If he comes out militantly against our presence there,
you could count on your hands the number of weeks we could remain there. (We
have to keep in mind that the Iraqi government soldiers and police are
recruited almost wholly from the Shi’i population, which is aggravating
the propensity for civil war there.) If Sistani wants to bog us down there and
make Iraq into an enduring, worsening, and iconic US defeat, he can easily do
so. So if we want anything approaching a diginifed withdrawal, it is entirely
dependent on Sistani’s good-will. So, we should be in close and secretive talks with Sistani,
led by an American who will through his personal demeanor, knowledge and wisdom
has credibility in Sistani’s eyes, but it also must be an American who
has deep influence within official Washington. I hope these comments are helpful. I look forward to your
further thoughts. Cheers, Lawry From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Karen Watters Cole Time to
Talk to Al Qaeda? http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/09/14/time_to_talk_to_al_qaeda/ Zarqawi
declares war on Shiites On Wednesday, the Sunni-Muslim al Qaeda
said in an Internet posting it was waging a nationwide suicide bombing campaign
to avenge the military offensive against Sunni rebels in Tal Afar, in which
more than 200 insurgents have been killed and several hundreds captured.
"Days pass and battles are numbered and the goal is one: the
Crusader-Shi'ite war against Sunnis. Shi'ite districts in the city were avoided
and a war of ethnic cleansing war was directed at Sunnis," he said. "The interests of Crusaders and Shi'ites have
coincided with each other." Zarqawi also warned Iraqis and tribal leaders they would be
killed if they collaborated with U.S. forces. "Whoever is found to be a
member of the National Guard, army or is a spy will be killed and his house
will be demolished. Lawry, who would be a possible candidate to broach
secretive talks with Al Qaeda? Sistani? I can’t think of any
Westerner… After yesterday’s slaughter, according to Juan
Cole, “Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani strictly
forbade reprisals by Shiites, saying, "If half of Iraq's Shiites were
killed, it would not lead to a sectarian war." Sistani is keenly aware
that the guerrilla strategy is to sucker the Shiites into attacking Sunni Arabs
on a large scale, producing a civil war that would destabilize Iraq and give
the Sunni guerrillas an open for making a coup and taking over.. http://www.juancole.com/ Will they heed Sistani’s call? Clearly, with Zarqawi intensifying attacks on
civilians, full civil war will erupt, even as the patch-worked constitution
heads to a vote. This week an Iraqi official slammed the US military/private
contractors. The more important deal making seems to be over pipelines and
military equipment. I don’t see how Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld are going
to spin this, since their political capital is nearing bankruptcy. Karen |
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