BAGHDAD - Following weeks of wrangling over government formation that has fuelled sectarian strife in Iraq, parliamentary blocs have never seemed closer to forming a fully-fledged cabinet.In a bid to strike a power balance, they have agreed that the key ministries of interior and foreign affairs should not fall prey to an interfactional war and instead be given to independent political figures approved by all parties.
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One day before the country’s parliament is set to reconvene on Wednesday, observers and politicians believe the announcement of the ministerial posts is imminent. “There is extensive flexibility and accord among all parties in a bid to expedite the appointment of the Cabinet in the coming few days,” said Saad Jawad Qandil, MP in the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance (UIA). “Negotiations are ongoing and now the focus is on the agreement on the distribution of the security ministries,” Salam Al Zawbaawy of the United Iraqi Front said.
In fact, no government post has been competed over by the various political factions more than those of the security and foreign affairs. However UIA MP Bahaa Al Aaraji affirmed that all political blocs have agreed that those two portfolios should be given to two independent political figures, a Sunni and a Shiite.
The two figures should be endorsed by all political factions, he added, especially the UIA, being the largest bloc with 128 seats in the 275-parliament. Al Aaraji, nevertheless, denied that anyone has been named as candidate for the posts, adding that the blocs were anticipating WednesdayÂ’s parliament session for further negotiations. He stressed that the UIA is keen on the May 9 deadline for announcing the cabinet line-up.
Meanwhile, parliamentary blocs have almost agreed to appoint as secretary-general Iyad Allawi, whose bloc got 25 seats in parliament, to the independent council for national security that comprises of leaders of the major parliamentary blocs.