Moqtada Sadr pulls ministers from Iraqi cabinet

April 16, 2007

Baghdad, Iraq - Moqtada Sadr has ordered his ministers to withdraw from the Iraqi parliament cabinet.

Sadr's bloc, which has six cabinet ministers, is trying to press Prime Minister Nouri Maliki to set a timetable for a US troop withdrawal.

Maliki has refused, saying a pullout depends on conditions on the ground.

Analysts say Sadr holds great power among Iraq's Shia majority, but the unity government is likely to survive.

Last week, hundreds of thousands of people attended a rally in the Shia city of Najaf organised by Sadr to protest against the continued presence of US-led troops in Iraq.

Sadr did not appear at the rally in person. US officials say he has fled to Iran, but aides say he is still in Iraq.

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Sadr parliamentary bloc leader Nassar Rubaie announced the move at a news conference in Baghdad, attended by allies from the bloc.

"Considering the public interest, we found that it was necessary to issue an order to the ministers of the Sadr bloc to immediately withdraw from the Iraqi government," he said, reading a statement from Mr Sadr.

"The six ministries shall be handed over to the government itself, hoping that this government would give these responsibilities to independent bodies who wish to serve the interests of the people and the country."

Sadr's bloc has 32 lawmakers in the country's 275-member government.

The gesture of calling for independent technocrats was welcomed in a statement from Maliki, who also said he appreciated the Sadr movement's support for the political process.

While it has withdrawn from the cabinet, the Sadr group has not left the governing coalition.

Our correspondent says Sadr's decision appears to have been triggered primarily by the government's failure to heed the Najaf demonstration.

Late last year Sadr's bloc staged a two-month boycott of parliament to protest against the continuing closeness of the relationship between Maliki and the US administration.