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Iraq

Shias to claim majority of posts, says Iraqs interior minister

2006-01-28

BAGHDAD - Iraqs interior minister said on Saturday that the conservative Shia United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), which won most seats in the December election, will take half the ministries plus one in the next government.

Minister Bayan Jabr Solagh told AFP that the group also wanted the posts of Iraqi vice president and parliamentary assembly vice president. The political consultations are ongoing and the alliance will take half of the ministerial posts, plus one, including three major positions: either defence or interior, in addition to finance and oil, he said. The decision of the alliance is also to have the position of vice president of the republic and the vice president of the national assembly, he added.

But he added: We want a government of participation and national unity in which each community will be represented according of its electoral weight.

So long as everyone remembers who is top dog.

Solagh, a member of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), one of the chief parties making up the UIA, also said: We see doubling the number of deputy prime ministers (allowed under the constitution) to four so as to allow for the representation of all members of Iraqi society.

Two for them, one for the Kurds, and one for the Sunnis.

Posted by:Steve White

#1 I think this is the official bargaining position of "We get everything, and you get what is left over"; which will shortly be followed by the opposition demand that *they* get everything. This will be followed by mutual cursing about unfairness. Then the casbah will officially be open for business and the real bargaining will begin.

Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-01-28 13:55

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