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Iraq-Jordan |
Crucial Shiite-Kurdish deal struck in Iraq |
2005-03-11 |
Iraq's clergy-backed United Iraqi Alliance and a Kurdish coalition have struck a deal that will allow a new government to be named when the National Assembly convenes next week, officials in both political groups said Thursday. The Shiite-Kurdish deal calls on the government to begin discussion on the return of about 100,000 Kurds to the oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk and talks about redrawing existing Kurdish regions to include the city in Iraq's new constitution. It also gives the Kurds just one major Cabinet post - one less than they demanded - in return for making one of their leaders, Jalal Talabani, Iraq's first-ever Kurdish president. One ministry will go to the country's Sunni Arab minority. The Kurds agreed to back conservative Islamic Daawa party leader Ibrahim al-Jaafari for prime minister. As part of the deal, any land agreement will be incorporated into the country's new constitution, which must be drafted by mid-August and approved by referendum two months later. |
Posted by:Fred |
#7 all above: agree. Possibly the Turks and Baathist Sunnis can create an "Alliance of the Screwed Whiners" |
Posted by: Frank G 2005-03-11 11:07:00 AM |
#6 Agree with LH....these will be drawn out kinda like our Social Security changes ;^) |
Posted by: AlanC 2005-03-11 11:02:59 AM |
#5 The Turks will not be pleased. Yeah, I know - tough noogies... |
Posted by: mojo 2005-03-11 10:53:14 AM |
#4 agree with AlanC. Also we should expect negotiations of this type to be drawn out, before resulting in agreement. |
Posted by: liberalhawk 2005-03-11 9:26:31 AM |
#3 Oh my goodness. Politics and compromise breaking out in the ME and no one was shot in the process. IMHO this qualifies as good news. |
Posted by: AlanC 2005-03-11 8:45:04 AM |
#2 Let the Sunni and the Turks cry over it. |
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2005-03-11 4:34:00 AM |
#1 Let the Sunni cry over this..BAAWWW BAAWWW BAAWWW |
Posted by: Uling Glavise2664 2005-03-11 12:42:26 AM |