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Iraqi president Jalal Talabani calls for
unity meet in April
27.3.2012
AFP |
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Iraqi president Jalal Talabani (L) with Iraqi PM
Nouri al-Maliki.
Photo: AFP
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March 27, 2012
BAGHDAD, — Iraqi President Jalal Talabani
has called for a national conference on April 5
aimed at bridging sharp political differences in the
country, a statement from his office said on Sunday.
"After intensive consultations with Prime Minister
Nuri al-Maliki, and parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi"
and other political leaders, "Talabani, decided to
call for the national meeting to be held on
Thursday, April 5, 2012," a statement on the
presidency website said.
"He called on the preparatory committee (for the
meeting) to speed up its work and to prepare the
agenda before this date," it said.
"Talabani hopes that joint efforts will lead to
complete solutions that meet the needs and the hopes
of the Iraqi people, and that reinforce national
unity and joint work for maintaining stability," it
said.
Talks between Iraqi political leaders were
originally to take place in December amid a standoff
between Maliki's Shiite National Alliance coalition
and the Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc,www.ekurd.net
which accused him of seeking to centralise power,
but were cancelled when the two sides refused to
meet.
The dispute cooled off after Iraqiya ended
parliament and cabinet boycotts, but a wealth of
other issues remain.
Kurdish president Massoud Barzani hinted on Tuesday
at a possible break with Iraq's unity government,
complaining that Maliki was monopolising power and
building an army loyal only to him.
Iraq's Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, who
has been accused of running a death squad, is hiding
out in the autonomous Kurdistan.
And the issue of Sunni Deputy Prime Minister Saleh
al-Mutlak, whom Maliki wants to sack after the
former described him as "worse than Saddam Hussein,"
also remains unresolved.
Copyright ©, respective author or news agency, AFP
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