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Al-Sadr ministers leave government

Radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr pulled his six ministers out of Iraq's beleaguered coalition government yesterday as he pushed his demand for a rapid withdrawal of US troops from the country.

The Shiite hardliner was angered last week when street protests failed to persuade Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to set a timeline for US forces to go home.

Sadr's bloc is the largest single political group in Maliki's fragmenting coalition, but the prime minister will be able to cling to power if he keeps the support of smaller Shiite and Kurdish groups.

Lawmaker Nassar al-Rubaie from Sadr's movement, flanked by allies from his 32-strong parliamentary bloc, announced the withdrawal at a Baghdad news conference, reading a statement from the cleric.

"The six ministries shall be handed over to the government itself in the hope that this government will give these responsibilities to independent bodies who wish to serve the interest of the people and the country," it said.

Rubaie explained the reasons behind the move.

"The main reasons are the prime minister's lack of response to the demands of nearly 1 million people in Najaf asking for the withdrawal of US forces and the deterioration in security and services," he said.

On April 9 a rally organized by the group saw huge crowds of Shiites gather in the holy city of Najaf to demand the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country.

The number of protesters was disputed, with the US military reporting around 15,000 and Iraqi officials hundreds of thousands.

Maliki has declined to offer any timetable for US withdrawal, saying any decision on the timing will be guided by the security situation on the ground.

Mariam al-Rayis, an adviser to Maliki, said that by boycotting the government the Sadr bloc is "exercising its democratic right."

"Despite the difference in our views our national vision is same -- only the methods of achieving it are different," she said. "The Sadr movement believes there should be a real timetable for the multinational forces to withdraw, but the government thinks such a thing at this time would be like putting a spoke in its wheel."

Rayis also said Sadr could provide an effective opposition.

"We need to have real opposition from outside the government. This is a great beginning. The prime minister needs real opposition that can act as a watchdog inside the parliament," she said.

Despite this apparent dispute between the former allies -- Sadr's votes ensured Maliki's election -- some analysts said the prime minister could use the defection to strengthen his own position.

Political analyst Tareq Harb said Sadr will not call a confidence vote to unseat Maliki, while the prime minister will use the threat of a radical opposition to extract more aid from the US.

Sadr has not been seen in public since last October.

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