Despite the call by political parties, tribal chiefs, and clerics of all sects to stop the bloodshed, Baghdad is still a city haunted by abductions and killing, reports Nermeen Al-Mufti Medical sources in Baghdad said that hospitals received 1,458 bodies in August alone. The figure doesn't include the number of dead in other Iraqi cities, which has also risen substantially. Dozens of people are reported missing in various parts of the country every week, and most are later found murdered. Over 10,000 people are said to have left Baghdad in the past few months due to the escalation of sectarian violence. And shop owners now close their businesses before dark. A senior official at the Ministry of Health, however, said that the number of bodies received by hospitals went down by 50 per cent in August. Meanwhile, parliament has held two sessions to discuss federalism after Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani decided to substitute the Kurdish for the Iraqi flag. Parliament also reviewed the introduction of a federal system in the country's central and southern areas, something that Shia leader Abdul-Aziz Al-Hakim is pushing for. The discussion of federalism was so divisive that the parliament decided to postpone the debate till next week. Janan Ali, an expert in Iraqi domestic politics, criticised Barzani's decision to banish the Iraqi flag from the Kurdish north. "Barzani claims that Saddam fought the Kurds under this flag. But under this very flag, Republican Guards troops led by Qusay Saddam went into the north to save Barzani and Arbil from Talabani's forces. At the time, Barzani begged for Saddam's help and had no problem with the Iraqi flag." Ali added that the Iraqi flag has become a bone of contention. "Most Iraqis rejected the flag suggested in 2004. Iraq has enough problems to address. And yet the flag has turned into a major source of distraction." Iraqi tribes have pledged commitment to the current flag in Iraq. A parliamentarian speaking on the condition of anonymity said that, "the federal administration in the north is what gave Abdul-Aziz Al-Hakim a pretext to call for federalism in the centre and the south." Adnan Al-Duleimi, chairman of the Sunni Reconciliation Front, which has 44 seats in parliament, rejects plans for federalism, saying Iraq would descend towards greater sectarianism. According to Article 119 of the constitution, any group of governorates can join together in a province, pending a general referendum. But since the constitution is likely to be amended, several parties maintain that federalism should wait. Sunnis agreed to the constitution only on the condition that it would be later amended. Khaled Al-Atiya, deputy parliamentary speaker for the Alliance List, called federalism a step toward partition. Mahdi Al-Hafez of the Iraqi List said that the untimely introduction of federalism could damage the future of Iraq and undermine national unity. "The right circumstances should exist for discussing the principles of federalism," he remarked. Al-Hafez added that federalism is acceptable, but only after examining the needs of various areas and while keeping in mind the requisites of good administration. Hassan Al-Faluji, deputy for the Reconciliation List, said that federalism should wait until the constitution is amended. "Article 143, which calls for a committee to amend the constitution, comes after and therefore supersedes Article 118, which allows governorates to form provinces," he said. Several groups in parliament support the Alliance Front in its opposition of immediate federalism, including the Iraqi List, the Sadr bloc, the National Reconciliation Front, the Reconciliation and Liberation Dialogue, and the Fadila (Virtue) Party. Al-Faluji says that the Reconciliation Front will have to withdraw from the political process if federalism is pushed at the moment. Meanwhile, emergency laws -- in force since 2004 -- have been renewed for another month in all parts of Iraq with the exception of the northern governorates of Arbil, Al-Suleimaniya and Dahuk where security is fairly stable. In Baghdad, a new type of violence has appeared, with terrorists renting apartments or shops and then blowing up entire buildings. Police now say that they must be consulted before any new rentals are made. In other developments, leaflets were distributed recently in the south warning of Persian influence. Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki has taken command of the Iraqi army in what was hailed as a move of "sovereignty consolidation." Occupation forces, however, still run patrols in Iraqi streets, backed by helicopter gunships. Fears of another attack on Falluja have mounted after the National Guard urged inhabitants to hand over "gunmen". Finally, for the second time this year Transparency International has said that corruption in Iraq is at record levels. According to Radi Al-Radi, head of team stationed in Iraq, the country's overall level of corruption is 70 per cent, reaching 100 per cent in some sectors. Transparency International considers 50 per cent to be a level of corruption bordering on chaos.
