BAGHDAD, Iraq - Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki once again failed to reach agreement on Sunday on naming a new defense and interior minister as parliament reconvened after a four-day break. Naming strong but neutral ministers is considered crucial for any plan to restore security and stability to strife-torn Iraq.Iraq’s fractious political, ethnic and sectarian parties again failed to reach agreement on who will run the interior and defense ministries, despite a promise by Al Maliki to do so within a few days of his Cabinet being sworn in just over a week ago. “They will not be named today,” Shia deputy Baha Al Araji said. “We hope within three days.”
The Shia-dominated interior ministry has been promised to that community, while Sunni Arabs are to get the defense ministry. It is hoped the balance will enable Al Maliki to move ahead with a plan to take over security around Iraq over the next 18 months and also attract army recruits among Sunni Arabs, who make up the core of the insurgency. The list however, has been whittled down to two candidates for the interior ministry and three for defense.
During what appeared to be a stormy closed-door session, deputies argued over a demand by the Shia and Kurdish coalitions to curb the power of Sunni Arab parliament speaker Mahmoud Al Mashhadani. They demand that he be obliged by parliamentary regulation to consult his Shia and Kurdish deputy speakers before taking any decisions. The demand, staunchly opposed by Sunnis, was an indication the struggle for more power and authorities among IraqÂ’s factions. The speaker has little authority.
| Which doesn't mean they won't argue for hours annd hours ... |