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BAGHDAD, Iraq, The most powerful Shiite
cleric in Iraq called late Sunday for quick
agreement on a new government, expressing
displeasure with the weeks of drawn-out haggling,
which has begun to stir unrest in the Iraqi public.
The cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, appeared
to be putting pressure on Kurdish politicians in
talks on forming a governing coalition.
Even though he has no constituency in the mostly
Sunni Kurdish territory, the ayatollah has proved to
be the most influential authority in the new Iraq.
He brought together the largest and most successful
Shiite bloc in the elections, and he has been able
to call up huge street protests and get voters to
the polls.
A leading Shiite politician, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim,
told reporters that the ayatollah felt "discontent"
over the delay and was calling for speed in forming
a government "on the basis of maintaining equality
for everyone." Mr. Hakim made his remarks in Najaf
after meeting there Sunday evening with Ayatollah
Sistani.
The main Shiite and Kurdish blocs together have more
than two-thirds of the 275 seats in the new
assembly, enough to install a government, but have
been at odds over the conditions for an alliance
since the elections on Jan. 30. The Kurds have been
trying to extract promises that would let them
retain their strong autonomy and gain vital
territory in northern Iraq, particularly Kirkuk, the
center of an oil-rich region.
"Sayed Sistani has affirmed the principles he
believes in, which are national unity, giving rights
to the Iraqi people and not marginalizing the rights
of others," said Mr. Hakim, using the honorific
reserved for direct descendants of the Prophet
Muhammad.
The statement was the first public sign of
displeasure from Ayatollah Sistani over the
negotiations. The long process has demoralized many
Iraqis who turned out to vote despite insurgent
threats.
Mr. Hakim said Sunday that the talks between the
leading Shiite bloc, the United Iraqi Alliance, and
the Kurds were showing "obvious progress," and that
a new government would be announced "within the
coming days." For weeks, though, leading politicians
have been saying the government would be formed
within "a few days." Many Iraqis had hoped the
Shiites and Kurds would come to some sort of
agreement by the time the assembly held its first
meeting, but the event came and went without a deal.
Because of the delay, any new government will have
to operate on a tight timetable. The national
assembly is expected to have a draft of the
constitution ready by August, according to the
transitional basic law approved in March 2004. A
national referendum on the draft is to be held in
October, with elections for a full-term government
at year's end.
The former governing Sunni Arabs, who largely
boycotted the elections, have had to watch the
negotiations from the sidelines. Some of their
leaders have been asked by Shiite and Kurdish
leaders to take token positions in the new
government, but no Sunni with any real influence
over the insurgency has agreed to play a role in
politics.
Adnan Pachachi, a Sunni Arab who served as foreign
minister in the 1950's, said in an interview on
Monday that all parties had agreed that a Sunni Arab
should take one of the two vice presidencies and the
post of speaker of the assembly. Shiite and Kurdish
leaders say the three prominent Sunnis being
considered for those jobs are Mr. Pachachi; Sharif
Ali bin al-Hussein, the head of the Constitutional
Monarchy Party and a member of the Hashemite
dynasty; and Sheik Ghazi al-Yawar, the president of
the interim government.
The Shiites and Kurds also say they want to ensure
that Prime Minister Ayad Allawi gets a high position
in the government. Dr. Allawi has tried to portray
himself as a strongman with the resources to either
quash or co-opt the insurgency. But some Shiite
leaders have criticized him for bringing senior
members of the former ruling Baath Party back into
the government.
A wave of attacks across central and northern Iraq
left at least 10 Iraqis dead on Monday, a day after
an American convoy fended off as many as 50
attackers in one of the fiercest firefights of
recent months, right outside the capital.
www.nytimes.com
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