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Sunnis to get six positions in Cabinet, Iraqi aide says
 Sunni Arabs will be offered six Cabinet posts in the new Iraqi government, equaling their representation in the 36-member interim government elected last January, according to Iraq's national security adviser. The Shi'ite grouping that won a plurality in elections last month, according to preliminary results, will ensure that "there will be no government without the inclusion of the Sunnis," Mowaffaq al-Rubaie said in a telephone interview from London.Election officials, meanwhile, announced that preliminary results from the parliamentary elections -- with Sunni-led parties winning 18 percent of the vote -- would be substantially unchanged when final results are announced later this week. Inclusion of the Sunnis, a group that has dominated Iraqi governments since the 1920s, is seen as vital to stemming a Sunni-led insurgency that has bedeviled efforts to rebuild the country. "People believe their inclusion may well quell the insurgency and will help form a strong government," Mr. al-Rubaie said. "This is not nominal; it is a meaningful inclusion." The British-educated Shi'ite said it had not been decided whether the Sunnis would be allocated one of the two crucial security positions -- interior minister or defense minister. But he said that in his personal opinion, those posts should be awarded based on the merit of the candidates, not the political affiliation. Posted by: Fred 2006-01-18 |
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