BAGHDAD — Iraq’s most influential Shiite politician said Sunday that the U.S. had not backed up claims that Iran is fueling violence here, underscoring a wide gap on the issue between Washington and the Shiite-led Baghdad government.
A draft bill to ease curbs on former Saddam Hussein loyalists in government services also drew sharp criticism from Shiite lawmakers, opening old wounds at a time when the United States is pressing the Iraqis for compromise for the sake of national unity.
The Americans have long accused the Iranians of arming and training Shiite militias, including some linked to the U.S.-backed government of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. U.S. officials have also alleged that Iran has provided weapons used to kill Americans — a charge the Iranians vehemently deny.
“These are only accusations raised by the multinational forces, and I think these accusations need more proof,” said Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Islamic Iraq Council.
Al-Hakim, who has been undergoing treatment for lung cancer in Iran, said the Iranians have insisted in meetings with Iraqi officials that “their true will is to support the Iraqi government” and to promote stability.
“They have a long history of standing by the Iraqi people, and that is their official stance that is presented to the press without any hesitation,” he said.
Al-Hakim spent years in exile in Iran during Hussein’s regime and is considered closer to the Iranians than any of the major Iraqi Shiite leaders. His party has also closely cooperated with American authorities since the 2003 collapse of Hussein’s regime, and he has met with President Bush in the Oval Office.
Sunni fears of Iranian domination are among the obstacles standing in the way of reconciliation among Iraq’s religious and ethnic communities.
Another hurdle has been Sunni complaints that they have been marginalized politically by regulations that banned former members of Hussein’s Baath party from holding government jobs or running for public office.
The U.S. has been pressing the Iraqis to relax the ban to allow thousands of lower-ranking Baathists to regain their posts. On Sunday, parliament began debate on the latest draft bill. But the session adjourned after Shiite legislators loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr began pounding their fists on their tables in protest.
The prospect of rehabilitating former Baath ists did not sit well with Shiite lawmakers from other political parties. Many of them suffered under the Sunni-dominated Hussein regime.
