The United States announced on Monday its support for the demands of Iraqi protesters.
The White House said in a statement that it backs the people’s right to hold peaceful rallies to express their views.
It also voiced its support for the Iraqi government’s vow that it will protect the people’s right to stage the demonstrations.
It added that it was ready to support the people and government in their pursuit of economic reform, creation of job opportunities and fight against corruption.
Protests had swept southern Iraqi regions, particularly Basra, with angry demonstrators demanding better services and an end to corruption.
Three weeks into the protests, the Iraqi government announced on Monday that it was dispensing funds that it had pledged to spend on impoverished provinces, starting with Basra.
Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi’s spokesman Saad al-Hudaithi revealed that 3.5 trillion Iraqi dinars have been dedicated to Basra and were immediately dispensed.
The funds will be invested in stalled water desalination, electricity, health, education and environment projects, he revealed.
Former Basra MP Awatef Nehme told Asharq Al-Awsat: “That the move, if late, was still a good step.”
She added, however, that it was not enough to meet Basra’s needs, demanding “radical solutions to Basra’s problems.”
“Ultimately, the prime minister’s slogan that he will combat terrorism never materialized,” she added, saying that corrupt figures should be held accountable for their practices.
This demands actions, not words, Nehme said.
Another MP, Salim Shawqi, said: “These funds are not a gift from the government, but what Basra was owed in the first place.”
He explained that they were revenues from the province’s rich oil sector.
The revenues, however, total 14 trillion dinars, “meaning the government only gave us crumbs that do not cover Basra’s needs,” he revealed.
“The problem with the government and others before it since 2003 is that they lacked a project or vision or methodology. This in turn has negatively affected their performance in that they do not have real construction projects,” Shawqi explained.
Iraq enjoys a budget of some $100 billion and a 25 percent deficit. It could have enjoyed $500 billion had the government worked on mega industry, agricultural and touristic projects, the lawmaker told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The protests have meanwhile not abated.
At least 14 people have been killed in the past two weeks, a member of the state human rights commission said Monday.
Rights commission official Fadel al-Gharrawi said 14 people had died in Basra, Samawah, Najaf and Karbala and in the provinces of Diwaniyah and Babylon.
He did not specify whether those killed were protesters or members of the security services, but a Sunday toll compiled from medical sources put the number of dead at 11, all demonstrators.
Gharrawi said 275 protesters and 470 security personnel were wounded during thousands-strong demonstrations against corrupt officials.
He said over 800 people had also been arrested, but said “the majority were later released”, without providing a precise figure.
