Iraq's new government to include Sunni-backed bloc

[zantac]

Iraq's new government to include Sunni-backed bloc

Iraq's fractious politicians have agreed to return Shi'ite Nuri al-Maliki as prime minister, ending an eight-month deadlock that raised fears of renewed sectarian war, but leaving some Sunnis sceptical he can forge national unity. Skip related content

In a first step to implement the deal, lawmakers met on Thursday and elected Sunni legislator Osama al-Nujaifi as speaker of parliament.

The pact on top government posts brings together Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds in a power-sharing arrangement similar to the last Iraqi government and could help prevent a slide back into the sectarian bloodshed that raged after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Sunnis, dominant under Saddam Hussein, would have reacted with outrage had the Sunni-backed Iraqiya alliance of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi been excluded from government. Some may still feel cheated because of Maliki's return.

Under the deal, Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, will retain the presidency and other Iraqiya members will be given cabinet jobs, such as that of foreign minister. Allawi himself will head a council of strategic policies.

"Thank God last night we made a big achievement, which is considered a victory for all Iraqis," Kurdish regional president Masoud Barzani said at a news conference in Baghdad.

OPEC member Iraq, trying to rebuild its oil industry after decades of war and economic sanctions and to quell a stubborn Sunni Islamist insurgency, has been without a new government since an election on March 7 failed to produce a clear winner.

"The most important issue now is that we are out of the bottleneck," said Amer al-Fayyadh, the dean of political science at Baghdad University.

"The formation of a government is now in sight."

PARLIAMENTARY SESSION

The session of parliament on Thursday was just the second in more than eight months since the vote. After picking Nujaifi as speaker, lawmakers must choose a president who in turn nominates a prime minister, who has 30 days to form a government.

Allawi pushed hard to displace Maliki as prime minister after Iraqiya won two seats more than Maliki's coalition in the vote.

Allawi has said Sunni anger might have reinvigorated the insurgency had his alliance been sidelined.

The distribution of the top posts along ethnic and sectarian lines was a reflection of the divisions that define Iraq after more than seven years of warfare unleashed by the U.S. invasion.

Washington formally ended combat in August but 50,000 U.S. troops remain to advise and assist the nascent army and police before a full withdrawal next year.

Overall violence has fallen sharply since the height of sectarian slaughter in 2006-2007, but killings and bombings still occur daily, followed every few weeks by a major, devastating assault by insurgents in which dozens are killed.

Tension mounted as Maliki and Allawi wrestled over power. Rockets and mortars were fired at Baghdad's fortified Green Zone district of government offices in the past few days and insurgents killed dozens of people in an attack on a Catholic church and on Shi'ite areas of the capital.

Maliki's return is likely to anger Sunni hardliners, who abhor what they see as Iran's influence over Iraq's Shi'ite leaders and his Islamist background, and Sunni Islamist insurgents, who view Shi'ites as apostates.

While the deal created a job for Allawi and gave Iraqiya a controlling position in parliament, some Sunnis may still feel marginalised, as they did after the previous election in 2005.

"In one way or another, we have the same atmosphere as in 2005 when Sunnis felt they were misrepresented in government, which in turn contributed to instability," said Yahya al-Kubaisy, a researcher at the Iraq Institution for Strategic Studies. He called Allawi's new job a "face-saving measure."

Despite political squabbles and continuing violence that has unsettled some foreign investors, global oil majors are working to crank up production in Iraq's vast oilfields.

Officials hope to raise production capacity to 12 million barrels per day from 2.5 million now, vaulting Iraq into the top echelon of world producers.

link

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20101111/tts-uk-iraq-politics-ca02f96.html

[Gr8Success]

Zantac, have you changed your mind about the time frame for.the RV, or are you still insistent on next year?

[powerpager]

Zantac Please wait until 2011 to post anything else !!!

[I AM WEASEL!!!]

regardless to what you said in your post ...thanks for the info zantac

[pamela]

Thanks for the post Zantac!

[brandedbabe]

Zantac, have you changed your mind about the time frame for.the RV, or are you still insistent on next year?

I also wonder you opinion on this zantac? I wonder this because I feel like you became the "darth vador" of our dv community with soldier of fortune and bane as your storm troopers....LOL..

[sarasota]

i cant stop laughing!! is this person for real?

[TR8Man]

Zantac - You sure know how to "stir things up".

I wonder if you still believe your position that nothing ( RV ) will not happen for "some time to come"? I don't care if I'm wrong, I am interested in getting " it " right and hope you feel the same way.

Your thoughts?

[zantac]

Zantac Please wait until 2011 to post anything else !!!

Zantac, have you changed your mind about the time frame for.the RV, or are you still insistent on next year?

Well as the comments above I should not post again until 2011 however now you ask

Time is running out very fast for the RV & GOI formation, to be precise there is only 30 working days left in Iraq.

At present there is no GOI.

Security in Iraq is probably as bad as 2006 or lower.

Iraq under chapter 7 & many other sanctions

Iraq not officially part of the WTO

Iraq not recognised on the stock exchange.

3rd Report of the Security Council seems to suggest an extension to sanctions

HCL law still no agreement

For me the most important part of the RV in 2010 is the introduction of the lower denominations, with out this there will be no RV until such times

I know you all must hate me at times but I like to live the dream to but sometimes it helps to wake up from the dream to face some reality in the morning

I still stand by no RV in 2010 but I hold great expectation for an excellent very early financial start for all in 2011.

[DaveH]

Question retracted

Edited November 12, 2010 by davhina