BASRA, May 31: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki declared on Wednesday a month-long state of emergency in the southern city of Basra, the scene of intra-Shia clashes, as the rest of the country stayed in the grip of a surge in violence.

“We are announcing this broad security mobilization for the next month and we hope through negotiations we will gain control of this crisis,” Maliki told reporters during a visit to the port city.

He pledged to deal with the Basra crisis with an “iron fist”, as he announced the state of emergency.

Mr Maliki and Vice President Tareq al Hashemi led a delegation of politicians to Basra to meet with local civilian and security leaders in the city plagued by unrest for the past few weeks that has claimed the lives of hundreds of people.

“A security committee will be formed to defuse the crisis, starting with the disarming of society here in Basra, including the militias and tribes,” said Mr Hashemi.

He said checkpoints would be set up to search cars for illegal weapons, adding that many of the tribes had heavy weapons such as mortars. “This is one of the major reasons for the chaos,” he said.

“What are these assassinations and murders?” asked Maliki when he arrived. “Who are these gangs kidnapping people? What is going on in this city?

“The security men must be able to work without fear and interference from the political parties,” Maliki added. “Iraq can not be stable unless the law and the sovereignty of Iraq is respected.”

Mr Maliki indicated that a final decision on the key portfolios would be made by the end of the week, while an associate noted that further changes were planned in the cabinet sworn in on May 20, five months after general elections.

Three ministers — from the Sunni list, the Shia bloc and former premier Iyad Allawi’s party — are to be replaced because they do not have the proper qualifications or had not been cleared by the de-Baathification commission, said a Shia politician who asked to remain anonymous.—AFP