Iraqi parliament meeting delayed; four Marines among dozens killed
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's top legislator postponed today's scheduled meeting of parliament, putting off "for a few days" an attempt to resolve a months-long deadlock over the formation of the country's new government.
Although the move was not entirely unexpected, it still represented a setback for U.S. officials and an Iraqi public that is losing patience with four months of political paralysis since Dec. 15, when the country held elections to form a long-term government.
The delay has coincided with a surge in sectarian killing between Iraq's Sunni Arabs and Shiites. At least 37 Iraqis died in shootings, bombings and other attacks Sunday, according to police officials and news reports. U.S. military officials also reported killing five insurgents in a raid, and said four Marines were killed in combat west of Baghdad.
The biggest political sticking point is whether incumbent Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari will serve a new four-year term. The leading coalition of Shiite parties nominated al-Jaafari in a close vote, but Sunni Arabs, Kurds, and even some Shiites are now demanding an alternate candidate, saying he is a weak leader.
In recent days, some officials in the Shiite alliance said they had agreed to replace al-Jaafari with another leader as part of a larger deal over who would hold the various posts.
When Adnan Pachachi, the acting speaker of parliament, called Wednesday for a meeting to solve the impasse, he said it was with the intention of pushing all sides toward making an accommodation by setting today as a deadline. But as politicians from each group continued to hold closed-door meetings Sunday, Pachachi announced the parliament meeting would be delayed "for a few days."
Politicians in the Shiite alliance said they wanted to present a complete package of nominees that resolved not only the al-Jaafari question but also who would serve as the president and the two deputy presidents. By Sunday night the matter appeared to be unresolved.
Adnan Ali al-Kadhimi, an adviser to al-Jaafari, said it was "still in dispute." He added that one of the leading candidates to replace al-Jaafari was Ali al-Adeeb, a Shiite from al-Jaafari's party. Al-Adeeb appeared to have more support from Sunni Arabs, Kurds and secular parties than he did from his own Shiite alliance, al-Kadhimi said.
The Iraqi ambassador to the United States, Samir Sumidaie, also identified al-Adeeb as one of the leading candidates in an interview on CNN's "Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer."
Al-Kadhimi said Jalal Talabani, the incumbent president and a Kurd, was likely to remain in office. He also said Ayad Allawi, a secular leader, and Adnan al-Dulaimi and Saleh al-Mutlak, both Sunni Arabs, were being bandied about as candidates for the two deputy presidents' slots.
Al-Mutlak acknowledged he was in the running for deputy president. But he predicted negotiations would go on for "weeks," and called al-Adeeb "an Iranian" — a grave insult in a country that fought an eight-year war with the Shiite theocracy in the 1980s.
"All of them are the same," al-Mutlak said of the Shiite candidates for prime minister. "They are not qualified to run the country. But nobody listens to us."
Meanwhile, a car bomb killed 11 people in Mahmoudiya, a town 20 miles south of Baghdad. The bomb exploded in a busy food and vegetable market in the morning, police said. Many of the shops were left ablaze after the blast, and at least four civilian cars were seen in flames.
U.S. military authorities reported killing five insurgents and capturing a suspected al-Qaida member and four other suspects during a pre-dawn raid in the town of Youssifiyah, about 15 miles south of the capital. A woman was killed in the crossfire and four women and children were wounded, the military said. Five soldiers also were slightly wounded.
Four Marines from Regimental Combat Team 5 were killed in two engagements in Anbar province, to the west of Baghdad, military authorities also said. The U.S. death toll for this month rose to 47 — compared with 31 for all of March, according to The Associated Press. The latest deaths raised to at least 2,376 the number of U.S. military members who have died since the war began, according to an Associated Press count
Although the move was not entirely unexpected, it still represented a setback for U.S. officials and an Iraqi public that is losing patience with four months of political paralysis since Dec. 15, when the country held elections to form a long-term government.
The delay has coincided with a surge in sectarian killing between Iraq's Sunni Arabs and Shiites. At least 37 Iraqis died in shootings, bombings and other attacks Sunday, according to police officials and news reports. U.S. military officials also reported killing five insurgents in a raid, and said four Marines were killed in combat west of Baghdad.
The biggest political sticking point is whether incumbent Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari will serve a new four-year term. The leading coalition of Shiite parties nominated al-Jaafari in a close vote, but Sunni Arabs, Kurds, and even some Shiites are now demanding an alternate candidate, saying he is a weak leader.
In recent days, some officials in the Shiite alliance said they had agreed to replace al-Jaafari with another leader as part of a larger deal over who would hold the various posts.
When Adnan Pachachi, the acting speaker of parliament, called Wednesday for a meeting to solve the impasse, he said it was with the intention of pushing all sides toward making an accommodation by setting today as a deadline. But as politicians from each group continued to hold closed-door meetings Sunday, Pachachi announced the parliament meeting would be delayed "for a few days."
Politicians in the Shiite alliance said they wanted to present a complete package of nominees that resolved not only the al-Jaafari question but also who would serve as the president and the two deputy presidents. By Sunday night the matter appeared to be unresolved.
Adnan Ali al-Kadhimi, an adviser to al-Jaafari, said it was "still in dispute." He added that one of the leading candidates to replace al-Jaafari was Ali al-Adeeb, a Shiite from al-Jaafari's party. Al-Adeeb appeared to have more support from Sunni Arabs, Kurds and secular parties than he did from his own Shiite alliance, al-Kadhimi said.
The Iraqi ambassador to the United States, Samir Sumidaie, also identified al-Adeeb as one of the leading candidates in an interview on CNN's "Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer."
Al-Kadhimi said Jalal Talabani, the incumbent president and a Kurd, was likely to remain in office. He also said Ayad Allawi, a secular leader, and Adnan al-Dulaimi and Saleh al-Mutlak, both Sunni Arabs, were being bandied about as candidates for the two deputy presidents' slots.
Al-Mutlak acknowledged he was in the running for deputy president. But he predicted negotiations would go on for "weeks," and called al-Adeeb "an Iranian" — a grave insult in a country that fought an eight-year war with the Shiite theocracy in the 1980s.
"All of them are the same," al-Mutlak said of the Shiite candidates for prime minister. "They are not qualified to run the country. But nobody listens to us."
Meanwhile, a car bomb killed 11 people in Mahmoudiya, a town 20 miles south of Baghdad. The bomb exploded in a busy food and vegetable market in the morning, police said. Many of the shops were left ablaze after the blast, and at least four civilian cars were seen in flames.
U.S. military authorities reported killing five insurgents and capturing a suspected al-Qaida member and four other suspects during a pre-dawn raid in the town of Youssifiyah, about 15 miles south of the capital. A woman was killed in the crossfire and four women and children were wounded, the military said. Five soldiers also were slightly wounded.
Four Marines from Regimental Combat Team 5 were killed in two engagements in Anbar province, to the west of Baghdad, military authorities also said. The U.S. death toll for this month rose to 47 — compared with 31 for all of March, according to The Associated Press. The latest deaths raised to at least 2,376 the number of U.S. military members who have died since the war began, according to an Associated Press count
News source :http://seattletimes.nwsource.com
posted by worldnews at 12:56 AM
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