NCRI – Iraqi vice president Tariq al-Hashemi has branded prime minister Nouri al-Maliki as ‘cruel and corrupt’ and blamed him for the Iranian regime’s meddling in their nation’s affairs.
Dr al-Hashemi said in the interview with al-Jazeera TV that al-Maliki was taking Iraq to a cliff-edge’ and must stand down.
He said: “Maliki is cruel, corrupt and the cause of the Iranian regime’s widespread intrusion in Iraq.
“The massacre of 91 innocent Iraqis in al-Hawijah is Maliki’s message to the Iraqi people. Destruction, terrorism and instability in the region and Iraq are executed under the supervision of the Iranian regime.”
Maliki used bombings to murder and oppress his own people, and had created a reign of fear in Iraq, Dr al-Hashemi said.
He added: “Everyone is in pain and we have reached the end. Iraq must change. We want a government based on justice and to have institutes that include all parties, which currently does not exist. Change is necessary and there is no way out of this.
“The oppression in Iraq, the diseased and corrupt management, poor handling of resources and missed opportunities for development have all thrown Iraq into a state of deadlock.”
Dr al-Hashemi noted how the Wiki Leaks website had recently quoted al-Maliki as saying in a meeting with Dawa Party members: “We must punish those who were armed during the Iran-Iraq war. We have to punish them on behalf of the Iranian regime.”
The vice-president added: “I have said many times and in different occasions that al-Iraqiya and the Kurds have given the Shiite coalition a message to change Maliki and that they are ashamed of him.
“With the massacre of 91 innocent Iraqis in al-Hawijah and the injury of more than 250, Maliki wanted to send the Shiites a message that anyone acting against the government would be punished in the same way. If the international community does not support the Iraqi people, then we will fail.
“When someone says he is imitating the Supreme Leader and is inspired by that regime, then is no longer just a religious issue but a political one as well.
“He is loyal to Tehran and Qom and not to Riyadh or Doha or Cairo. This is a dangerous issue that we must tackle. When you search for the causes of every problem here, you find the traces of the Iranian regime.”
