Iraq PM's cabinet list ends deadlock
A correspondent in Baghdad
April 28, 2005
IRAQ'S prime minister designate Ibrahim al-Jaafari has handed a draft cabinet list to President Jalal Talabani, ending a three-month political deadlock.
The list was presented by Mr Talabani at a restricted meeting of Mr Jaafari's United Iraqi Alliance, according to Iraqi television. Details of the cabinet have not been officially released and it was not immediately known when parliament would be asked to approve it.
Shi'ite and Kurdish leaders have agreed to grant six ministries to Sunni Arabs, who largely boycotted the January elections, in an effort to create a national unity government. Seventeen ministries have been allotted to Shi'ites, eight to Kurds and one to a Christian.
News of the deal came as the US's top general conceded insurgents in Iraq were still a formidable force. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers said US forces were winning the conflict, but insurgents were as capable as they had been a year ago. He said ultimate success depended on political and economic progress, not just military advances.
Sadoun Dulaimi, a Sunni, has reportedly been named defence minister in the new government. Mr Jaafari has also named three deputy premiers -- Roj Nuri Shaways, a Kurd, former Pentagon favourite Ahmed Chalabi and Sunni Saad al-Lehebi -- in an attempt to spread power among ethnic groups.
Adblock
Mr Jaafari's list apparently includes several outgoing ministers remaining in their posts, including Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd, as foreign minister and Nasreen Mustafa Barwari as minister of public works. Sami al-Majoun has been named minister of justice and Ali Abdul Amir Allawi minister of finance.
Supporters of interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, a secular pro-Western Shi'ite, were not expected to join the new government after Mr Jaafari rejected their terms.
Three Sunnis said they were withdrawing from the United Iraqi Alliance, which holds 146 seats in the 275-member parliament, claiming it was too "sectarian". Sunnis dominated Saddam Hussein's regime and all previous governments, but won just 17 seats in parliament.
After weeks of divisive negotiations, Mr Jaafari is under pressure to form the new government as soon as possible. Washington is concerned that the deadlock has squandered political momentum towards democracy created by the successful election.
"I think everybody believes that the Iraqi people now deserve a government, given that they took (a) risk to vote," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said. "It is important to keep momentum in the political process."
The US also believes the recent surge in attacks by insurgents could be connected to the political vacuum.
Meanwhile, Iraqi police announced the arrests of 305 suspected insurgents, including 11 from other Arab countries. Police said 85 of them had admitted carrying out terrorist attacks.
The detainees included suspected members of the al-Qa'ida-linked Army of Ansar al-Sunna, he said.
In Baghdad, an Iraqi policeman was shot dead and four others wounded in a bomb attack late on Tuesday.
========== Bush incompetence:
- 2 years
- 1600 deaths
- $300 billion of US Taxpayer dollars
Who knew that Americans wage earners had that much free cash to spend on Iraq? You'd think they'd spend it on things like healthcare and infrastructure instead. |
