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02/17/2005:

"Allawi Cautions Shiites on Baath Ban"

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's interim prime minister cautioned the winning Shiite alliance against banning members of Saddam Hussein's former party from government, saying Thursday that it would "throw the country into problems."

In an interview with The Associated Press, Ayad Allawi urged the incoming government to focus on national unity and reconciliation rather than hit at those Iraqis — mainly Sunni Muslims — who dominated Iraq until their abrupt removal from power following the U.S.-led war in 2003.

The Shiite-dominated United Iraqi Alliance, which took 48 percent of the vote in the Jan. 30 national elections, has made weeding out Baath Party members part of its platform. The policy has raised concerns among Sunnis, who see it as a way to make sure they have no positions in a new government.
Full Article: news.yahoo.com