|
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi politicians elected a
Sunni Arab to be the speaker of parliament on
Sunday, ending a political impasse and taking a
decisive step toward forming a government nine weeks
after historic elections.
In an open ballot, the members of the 275-seat
National Assembly voted overwhelmingly to elect
Hajem al-Hassani, the current industry minister, as
speaker.
Shi'ite politician Hussain Shahristani and Kurdish
lawmaker Arif Tayfor were elected deputy speakers.
The Shi'ites and Kurds, who came first and second in
the Jan. 30 election, had agreed between them that a
member of the once dominant Sunni Arab minority
should be speaker.
Around 240 members of the assembly were present for
the vote, which took place hours after insurgents
mounted a brazen attack on Abu Ghraib prison outside
Baghdad, battling U.S. forces for an hour in an
assault that underscored Iraq's profound security
risks. Forty-four U.S. troops were wounded.
The process of forming a government has been drawn
out by sharp differences between the Islamist-led
Shi'ite alliance and the more secular Kurds over who
should get what cabinet posts.
Parliament's last meeting on March 29 descending
into chaos after politicians berated their leaders
for not reaching decisions more quickly. Live
coverage of the event was cut.
While the naming of a speaker is one step toward
ending Iraq's political deadlock, the parliament was
not expected to go much further on Sunday. Top
Kurdish negotiator Barham Salih said it was unlikely
to name a president and two deputies, a more
important landmark in the government's formation.
However, others indicated a decision might be made
if lawmakers could decide which of three Sunni Arab
candidates -- Adnan Pachachi, Ghazi al-Yawar and
Sharif Ali bin al-Hussein -- should be one of the
vice presidents.
The president is expected to be Jalal Talabani, a
Kurd, and the other vice president will be Adel
Abdul Mahdi, a Shi'ite.
Senior Iraqi officials have raised concerns that the
longer it takes to form a government, the more it
will fuel the insurgency by making elected
authorities appear indecisive.
There is also anger among ordinary Iraqis, more than
eight million of whom braved the threat of violence
to vote in January, only to see politics descend
into squabbling.
Once a president and deputies are approved by
two-thirds of the assembly, the presidential council
will have two weeks to name a prime minister, who
will decide on a cabinet.
All those positions are already being worked on but
the process involves intense bargaining and
brinkmanship.
The standoff threatens to derail the timetable for
drawing up a new constitution, the next major
stepping stone, which is due to be drafted by
mid-August.
It is also incurring the wrath of Sunni Arabs who
are demanding a role in the government despite their
poor showing at the polls -- only 17 of the 275
parliamentarians are Sunni Arabs, the result of most
Sunnis boycotting the vote.
Shi'ite and Kurdish leaders fear that if the Sunnis
are not brought into the process, it will exacerbate
the Sunni-led insurgency that has been raging for
more than two years.
There had been indications in recent days that the
insurgency may be softening, with the number of
daily attacks down by around 20 percent since the
election.
But Saturday's assault on Abu Ghraib prison, in
which between 40 and 60 insurgents attacked with
suicide car bombs, rocket-propelled grenades,
mortars and small arms fire, was a reminder of the
scale of attacks militants can still launch.
As well as the 44 U.S. troops wounded, 12 detainees
were hurt, one of them seriously. U.S. troops said
only one insurgent was confirmed to have been killed
in the fighting, which lasted around an hour and
involved U.S. helicopters and tanks.
It was believed to be the largest and most
determined attack on Abu Ghraib, a prison where more
than 3,000 suspected insurgents are held in U.S.
detention and which was at the center of a prisoner
abuse scandal last year.
There was also violence elsewhere in the country. In
the western town of Haditha, a U.S. Marine was
killed in a blast during combat operations on
Saturday, the military said.
The death raises to at least 1,163 the number of
U.S. troops killed in action in Iraq since the war
began. (Additional reporting by Omar Anwar, Waleed
Ibrahim and Andrew Marshall in Baghdad)
© Reuters 2005
Top |
® 