Iraqi opposition parties at each others throats

Washington, Nov 08: A dispute in Iraqi opposition ranks grew more bitter on Thursday when one group accused its rivals of serving the interests of Iraqi intelligence and trying to make money from the blood of Iraqis.
The Iraqi National Accord was responding to criticisms, mainly by members of the rival Iraqi National Congress, of arrangements for a proposed opposition conference in Brussels this month. Officials of the Iraqi National Congress say the Iraqi National Accord and its allies -- two Kurdish groups and a mainly Shi'ite Muslim group -- have tried to take most of the seats at the conference in what they call a grab for power.
The United States, which wants to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, is trying to mediate in the dispute.

The Iraqi National Accord, a group formed mostly of former Iraqi military men and former members of the ruling Baath party, answered its critics yesterday with a vitriolic attack.



''All the media accusations ... Show clearly that the secret aims behind them go beyond the personal desires and interests of those who propagate them ... To provide a service to the Saddam regime's centers of intelligence terrorism.''



''Some people have had and still maintain dubious relations ... with the terror regime in Baghdad out of greed for profitable trade and gifts which exude the blood of the eternal martyrs of the Iraqi people,'' it added.



''We warn those mercenaries and orphans of sumptuous halls... that they will drag their tails behind them in shame if they decide to pursue their campaign against us to its conclusion,'' said the statement.



The statement, obtained by Reuters in Washington, quoted a source in Iraqi Kurdistan, speaking on behalf of the Iraqi National Accord.

Bureau Report