Iraqi National Accord

Iraqi National Accord
الوفاق الوطني العراقي
LeaderAyad Allawi
Founded1991
HeadquartersBaghdad, Iraq
London, United Kingdom
NewspaperBaghdad News[1]
IdeologyProgressivism[2]
Secularism[3][4]
Liberalism[5]
Political positionCentre-left
National affiliationAl-Wataniya Coalition
International affiliationNone
Seats in the Council of Representatives of Iraq:
0 / 328
Website
http://www.wifaq.com/

The Iraqi National Accord (INA; Arabic: الوفاق الوطني العراقي; Al-Wifaq Al-Watani Al-'Iraqi), colloquially known in Iraq as Wifaq, is an Iraqi political party founded by Ayad Allawi, Tahsin Muallah and Salah Omar al-Ali in 1991.

History

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The party was founded at the time of the Persian Gulf War as an opposition group to Saddam Hussein. At that time, the two most active anti-Saddam groups were the SCIRI and al-Dawa; both were Iranian-backed Islamic Shi'ite parties, originating from Iraq, but operating from Iran from which they received support. Both parties were disagreeable to[citation needed] the western powers, and Saudi Arabia, who had long poor relations with Iran. The INA was thus set up to be an alternative, largely funded by money from Saudi Arabia; with extra support coming from the UK and the United States.

INA membership consisted largely of military and security personnel who had defected from the Iraqi military under Saddam Hussein's rule.

The INA organised attacks in Iraq between 1992 and 1995 to demonstrate its capacities as a militant group, but these had little effect on the government. In August 1995, Saddam's son-in-law, Hussein Kamel al-Majid authorized the INA to operate from Jordan after he too defected. Unlike the Iraqi National Congress strategy of fomenting revolution among Iraq's disaffected minorities, the INA felt the best way to remove Saddam was organizing a coup among Iraqi military and security services. To this end, the INA, in close cooperation with the CIA, was involved in a coup against Saddam in 1996. However, the INA had been infiltrated by agents loyal to Saddam, and in June, 1996, 30 Iraqi military officers were executed and 100 others were arrested for alleged ties to the INA.[6] Allawi has claimed INA remained active in Iraq as of March, 1998.

With the fall of Saddam, the INA entered Iraq playing a central role in the occupation government. With the rift between the United States and the Iraqi National Congress, the INA's role was further enhanced and Allawi was declared Prime Minister of Iraq on 28 May 2004. Under Allawi, the INA participated in the January 2005 Iraqi election, as part of the Iraqi List coalition. In the December 2005 elections, it was part of the Iraqi National List coalition.

References

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  1. ^ "baghdad-news.com". baghdad-news.com. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  2. ^ "Iraqi National Accord (Wifaq) | Iraqi Parliament Guide". Archived from the original on 2014-05-06. Retrieved 2014-06-08.
  3. ^ Muttitt, G. (2012). Fuel on the Fire: Oil and Politics in Occupied Iraq. New Press. ISBN 9781595588227. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  4. ^ "Featured Articles about Iraqi National Accord - Page 3". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  5. ^ "عن الوفاق". Archived from the original on 2014-04-03. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  6. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2005-09-19. Retrieved 2004-08-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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