Allawi says meeting with Maliki cancelled but insists to form government

[maddy]

Sunday, May 23rd 2010 7:25 PM

Najaf, May 23 (AKnews) - The leader of the Sunni-backed bloc of Iraqiya, Ayad Allawi, said Sunday that a meeting with leader of the State of Law Coalition, Nuri al-Maliki, was canceled yesterday, but stressed his determination to uphold the constitutional right of the list in forming the next government.

Allawi told a news conference after a meeting with the Shiite religious authority, Ali al-Sistani, that he had tackled with Sistani the latest developments in the Iraqi arena and "found Mr. Sistani very keen on understanding and dialogue."

Allawi was speaking to reporters alongside other leaders in his list, Tariq al-Hashemi and Rafi al-Issawi, noting hat the meeting with arch rival Nuri al-Maliki was canceled yesterday, but hoped the meeting would take place to get out of the impasse of forming the new government, the delay of which has plunged the country into s security and political vacuum.

The Shiite cleric stressed on the acceleration of the formation of new cabinet, according to Allawi.

"Al-Sistani was keen on the national unity and that Iraq be for Iraqis to enjoy the wealth of their country... and to move towards stability and security," Allawi added, stressing that his list upheld its constitutional and democratic right to form the government.

For his part, said Tariq al-Hashemi said the political stalemate was clear to all, and Mr Sistani has repeated in more than one occasion that he stands at an equal distance from everyone and does not want to impose his will on politicians in taking decisions.

"Iraqiya issued a statement a while ago in which it indicated that any merger with any coalition, or more, is a subject to be left for those broters themselves, and it is up to them," Hashemi said, before adding that "but we are keen on not going back to sectarian groupings."

Al-Issawi said once the federal court ratifies the elections results, "it becomes clear that the Iraqiye will move to form the new government,"

Allawi arrived in Najaf on Sunday, heading a delegation from the Iraqiya included Hashemi and al-Issawi, and drew upon his arrival to Najaf to meet with the religious authority, Ali al-Sistani, to discuss the political crisis facing the country.

Iraqiya list insists on the forming the next government basing their claim on the interpretation of the Iraqi constitution's Article 76 which vaguely entitles the winning list to form the government after the elections, while Maliki's bloc emphasizes the term "largest parliamentary bloc" as stipulated in the article means any majority list in the parliament whether a stand-alone or a merger of more than one lists, rather than a top vote-getter.

http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/4/148397/