Iraqi officials announced Sunday that they had agreed to form a council of the country's top politicians to make policy on security and economic issues in the new government. The council, which will include the prime minister and president, is an attempt to include all the country's major factions in decision-making at a time of rising sectarian tensions.
| I believe King Chuck I had a Star Chamber, too, until the Long Parliament. Cromwell ended up cutting his head off. |
The Iraqi constitution approved by voters last fall does not have language supporting the creation of such a council. The 19-member body will essentially concentrate power in the hands of the country's political elites party leaders, and supersede the Cabinet and parliament in making broad decisions. The move is a step forward in the snail-paced negotiations over the formation of a full, four-year government.
| It also sets an awful precedent. |
Debate over creating what is being described as the national security council, and what powers it would wield, had contributed to the deadlock in the talks. The main Shiite political bloc, which is expected to hold the most executive power in the new government, had opposed formation of the council, while the Kurds, Sunni Arabs, secular politicians and U.S. officials had pushed for it. Many Shiite leaders viewed the idea of the council, first proposed by Massoud Barzani, the president of Iraqi Kurdistan, as an attempt to hamstring the prime minister, expected to be a Shiite, and check the power of the main Shiite bloc, known as the United Iraqi Alliance.
But on Sunday, after five hours of negotiations at the president's guest villa in Baghdad, the Shiites agreed to the council's formation. Because of the way the council will be set up, the Shiites, who constitute the largest political bloc in parliament, will have an effective veto over council decisions. Furthermore, the prime minister or president will be able to override any decisions they disagree with if the decisions conflict with the executives' constitutional authority. Otherwise, the council's actions will be binding. "It's a good thing," said Adnan Pachachi, the speaker of parliament and a secular politician. "It's a safety valve in a way. Decisions will be taken in which all major political parties will be part of. No one will accuse the prime minister of making decisions on his own."
| Sammy's in jug, on his way to the gallows, but the Revolutionary Command Council lives on... |
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