Iraq: Maliki and the protests in southern provincesnote

The protests that broke out in southern Iraq in the past few days, notably in Maysan, Dhi Qar and Basra, are said to have got support from the Supreme Islamic Council in Iraq (SICI) of Ammar Al-Hakim and the Wifaq Movement of former Iraqi PM Ayad Allawi. The following 424-word report sheds light on the subject and tells what about the reaction of Iraqi PM Nouri Al-Maliki, leading Shiite cleric Ali Sistani and radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr.