 Iraqi politicians yesterday fought over the Oil Ministry and the role of Islam in the next government, while an Al-Qaeda website posted a video of the purported execution of an Iraqi colonel. Iraq's Parliament, due to meet tomorrow, seemed far from a deal on a coalition government, as the country's ethnic and religious factions bickered two months after Jan. 30 election. Parliament, which held its inaugural session on March 16, will try to put to a vote the crucial three-man presidency council that will appoint the prime minister even if political parties cannot agree on the rest of the government, Shiite negotiators said. The Shiite candidate for prime minister, Ibrahim Jaafari, sought to put an optimistic spin on the talks, despite the apparent deadlock on Cabinet posts. "I think we are pretty much done and we will see a new government in the next few days," Jaafari told Iraqi state television. |