Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Allawi Accuses Iraqi Government of Facilitating Assassination Plot | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page

Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat – The Iraqi government has confirmed that the security of all Iraqi politicians is the responsibility of the security apparatus, and that Iraqi politicians should support the security services, not make accusations against it. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s media adviser, Ali al-Moussawi described Iraqiya bloc leader Iyad Allawi’s accusation, that the Iraqi government has paved the way for his assassination, as being “dangerous” and politically motivated.

This came in response to comments made by Iraqiya bloc leader, Iyad Allawi that suggested that the Iraqi government, which is led by his election rival Nuri al-Maliki, paved the way for the assassination plot against Allawi.

In an interview with Britain’s Times newspaper, Allawi revealed that he had received warnings of a plot to assassinate him, which caused him to seek increased security protection from the Americans who increased the security barriers around his home.

Allawi said that he asked the Iraqi government to increase the security around his home, but security officials refused to do so, which resulted in him turning to the Americans for help. Allawi also told Agence France-Presse that, “I got a letter from the Americans saying that there is a plot against me.” He added that, “some other friends in high positions also told me the same thing. These are evil people’s designs.”

In response to a question about who was plotting to assassinate him, Allawi said, “I don’t know.” Although, he did suggest that the outgoing government of his election rival Nuri al-Maliki, might be aiding the work of those who are targeting him.

This comes against the backdrop of two members of Allawi’s Iraqiya bloc being shot to death in recent weeks in the city of Mosul.

For his part, al-Maliki’s media adviser, Ali al-Moussawi described Allawi’s suggestion of the Iraqi government possibly playing a part in the assassination plot against him as being “dangerous,” stressing to Asharq Al-Awsat “the necessity of evidence being provided to prove this.” Al-Moussawi added that, “the leader of the Iraqiya bloc confirmed in a press conference that the [Iraqi] Minister of Defense was one of those who warned him of an assassination plot, so how can the government be paving the way for his assassination?”

Al-Moussawi also told Asharq Al-Awsat that, “all Iraqi officials and politicians are subject to being targeted, especially with the intensification of the political debate over what is happening in the country, and the Al Qaeda organization and the Baathists who support it, exploit these periods to target politicians and officials in order to stir up trouble.”

Al-Moussawi also stressed that “parties within the Iraqiya bloc have insinuated, more than once, that the focus on these cases has been exaggerated.” Although, he also pointed out that “it is the duty of the security apparatus to provide protection to all officials and politicians, even if they are government opponents, however at the same time, it is up to the politicians to support the [security] apparatus and not make accusations against them.”

Allawi had accused the Iraqi government of failing to provide him with the required protection, as well as preventing his private airplane from using the Al Muthanna military air base at Baghdad International airport. Sources previously informed Asharq Al-Awsat that the purpose of preventing Allawi from landing at the military airbase was to force him to use the civilian airport, where a plot was “ready to be implemented,” to assassinate him using a “sniper armed with a silenced rifle.”

Allawi previously said that he and six other Iraqi officials, or former officials, had been granted special privileges to use this military air base. The sources revealed these figures as being the Iraqi president, the [two] vice presidents, the Prime Minister, the parliamentary speaker, the former Prime Minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, and Allawi.