ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Hadi al-Amiri, head of the pro-Iran Fatih (Conquest) alliance, lashed out at the US on Monday, accusing it of “pressuring” and “threatening” Iraqi parties as next Iraqi government takes shape. “Very unfortunately, this is the first time that such a giant meddling has happened in Iraq. America is opposing the democratic parties of Iraq,” Amiri told reporters, adding “very frankly the mother of democracy, the USA, has trespassed all the limits in the sense that it is threatening one side and pressuring on the other side.” Amiri did not explain who had been threatened by the USA to take one side against the other for the creation of the largest parliamentary bloc in Iraq and the next government. Following the ratification of the May 12 election results by the Iraqi Federal Court two weeks ago, the US special presidential envoy to the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, Bret McGurk, held a string of talks with almost all of the Iraqi and Kurdish parties, urging them to ramp up efforts to create the next Iraqi government. “The Iraqis must themselves decide there is no problem with who is the biggest bloc and who is the smallest, what matters the decision must come from the Iraqis,” Amiri said. “The next prime minister must be chosen by the Iraqis, not any other side,” he added, referring to the US. Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law and Amiri’s Fatih claimed to have the biggest parliamentary bloc earlier on Monday with 145 signatures. The other bloc, headed by incumbent PM Haider al-Abadi, has also claimed to have the largest bloc, although both are likely to continue currying the favor of Sunni and Kurdistani parties, which remain uncommitted. Amiri said they would need all the groups and sides to join them so it becomes a cross sectarian alliance. “Avoiding one side and siding with another is in no way in our interest,” he said. The Kurdish parties have chosen to remain neutral for the time being. “The Kurdish side is siding with no party, as of yet and it is because they did not have time for dialogue so as to make a right decision.” “From the Fatih alliance, we thought we should form the largest Shiite, Sunni, Kurdish, and minorities’ alliance and we think it is the only solution. But unfortunately, there was a rush about who is the largest bloc,” Amiri added.
