UN: Iraqi demonstrators should ‘refrain from violence’

Protests continue after Maliki is accused of 'marginalising' Iraq's Sunnis Baghdad – Jaafar Al Nasrawi An United Nations envoy [UN] called on Iraqi anti-government protesters to “refrain from violence” on Wednesday, as demonstrations against Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki continued across several governorates. “We call on the protesters to refrain from violence and to maintain the peaceful character of their demonstrations, as well as the security forces to show the utmost restraint in maintaining law and order,” the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Martin Kobler, said.
A news release from the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq [UNAMI], which Kobler heads, demanded a “peaceful and constructive” dialogue according to Iraqi constitution and law.
Protesters have voiced a range of grievances they claim represent human rights violations in the country, according to UNAMI. The Maliki government has acknowledged that peaceful protest is a constitutionally guaranteed right for all citizens of Iraq, it added.
Anbar’s provincial council meanwhile threatened to file a lawsuit against the government to demand the opening of the Teraibeel border crossing near Jordan, which is an important commercial thoroughfare, along with compensation for alleged “physical damage” caused by its closure. Food and commodity prices have reportedly soared as a result of the move.
The local authority demanded the government allow Iraqis stuck at the crossing return to their families as soon as possible, claiming a lack of “any convincing reason” for the border closure.
The move represented an “escalatory step” that violates Article 114 of the national constitution, granting central and local authorities the right to manage and control border crossings, the Anbar council claimed in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The Council demanded an immediate opening to the crossing, calling on security forces to align themselves with the constitution rather than “political affairs.”
Iraq’s Defence Ministry closed the Teraibeel crossing at 0600 hrs [local time] on Wednesday, which is one of the most important crossing points for goods coming into the country from the Jordanian port of Aqaba.
Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets on a daily basis in Anbar province against Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his government, who is accused of marginalising Sunnis inside Iraq.