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Iraqi Parliament to Meet to Form New Government Iraq Shiite Leaders Hold Talks on Premier, as Support for Maliki Slips
(about 2 hours later)
BAGHDAD — The Iraqi Parliament will convene on Monday to try to form a new government as required by the Constitution, the state television network Iraqiya announced Thursday. BAGHDAD — Shiite political leaders began meeting Thursday to agree on whom to back for prime minister, with even some supporters of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki casting doubt on whether he could be chosen for a third term, according to senior Shiite officials.
Western diplomats as well as the powerful Shiite clerics in Najaf have urged the interim government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to move as quickly as possible to form a new government, urging Mr. Maliki to try to bring in Sunnis and Kurds to give the new government more credibility in its fight with Sunni extremists. The government announced Thursday that the Parliament would be convened on Monday, within the deadline set by the Iraqi Constitution, to the state television network, Iraqiya, reported. That set off an intense round of meetings among political factions in the hope of creating a consensus before Parliament convenes.
Other political leaders have called for a coalition that would replace Mr. Maliki, but American officials have said they view that as unlikely to succeed since Mr. Maliki was both the largest vote-getter personally and has control of the largest bloc of seats. His Rule of Law party controls at least 92 seats in Parliament, with a variety of other parties having no more than 33 seats each. A majority needed to form the government is 165 seats of the 328 in parliament. Western diplomats as well as the powerful Shiite clerics in the holy southern city of Najaf have urged Mr. Maliki’s interim government to move as quickly as possible to form a new government, encouraging Mr. Maliki to try to bring in Sunnis and Kurds to give the new government more credibility in its fight with Sunni extremists. But he has so far refused to make any of the concessions demanded by Sunnis and Kurds, arousing alarm even among other Shiite groups, who have reportedly tried to forge an alliance with Sunnis and Kurds to replace the prime minister.
The results of the April 30 election were certified by Iraq’s highest court on June 17, and the Constitution requires Parliament to convene within 15 days, so Monday, July 1 is the latest day possible. The Parliament first selects a speaker, and then proceeds to elect a president, vice-presidents and a prime minister in a process that may take months, judging by previous elections. That has appeared difficult, however. Mr. Maliki’s State of Law party controls at least 92 seats in Parliament, with a variety of other parties having no more than 33 seats each. The majority needed to form a government is 165 seats of the 328 in Parliament.
Many political leaders and diplomats have expressed hope that forming a government could happen more quickly than in the past, given the threat to the country from Islamic militants who have advanced to within less than 50 miles of the capital since overrunning the northern city of Mosul on June 10. Now, however, at least three senior members of Mr. Maliki’s bloc have publicly expressed concern about Mr. Maliki’s viability.
Mr. Maliki has already served two terms as prime minister of a Shiite-dominated government, and many Sunnis in particular want to see a constitutional change to limit future prime ministers to two terms. “It is too difficult to let Maliki keep his position,” said one, Abdul Karim al-Anzi, a former minister of national security and a prominent Shiite lawmaker. “The situation is very complicated because Sunnis and Kurds have serious problems with a Maliki third term.”
Sunnis and Kurds want a number of other concessions before they are willing to join the government, but so far Mr. Maliki has not proposed any concrete changes that would be likely to satisfy those groups. Two other State of Law members, longtime supporters of Mr. Maliki, also expressed reservations about keeping him for another term, but were unwilling to be quoted by name because of the political sensitivities of the discussions.
Separately, Mr. Maliki, in an interview with the BBC, said that Syrian jets had carried out air strikes against Sunni militants with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, near the town of Qaim on the Syrian border on Tuesday, the first official confirmation from the Iraqi government of the strikes. But Mr. Maliki, in an interview with the network’s Arabic service, said that the attacks had been on the Syrian side of the border, not in Iraq. The results of the April 30 election were certified by Iraq’s highest court on June 17, and the Constitution requires Parliament to convene within 15 days, so Monday is the latest day possible for it to do so. The Parliament first selects a speaker, and then proceeds to elect a president, vice presidents and a prime minister in a process that may take months, judging by previous elections.
“Yes Syrian jets did strike al Qaim area inside the Syrian side of the border,” Mr. Maliki said, according to a BBC translation. “There was no coordination involved but we welcome this action. We actually welcome any Syrian strike against ISIS because this group targets both Iraq and Syria.” Many political leaders and diplomats have expressed hope that the government formation could move more quickly than in the past, given the threat to the country from Islamic militants who have advanced to within less than 50 miles of the capital since overrunning the northern city of Mosul on June 10.
He added that the Iraqi government had not requested the attacks. “They carry out their strikes and we carry out ours, and the final winners are our two countries,” he said, according to the network. Once the date for Parliament was confirmed, the Shiite National Alliance, which includes Mr. Maliki’s party as well as other Shiite parties, began meeting in an effort to agree on who would fill the top positions, including prime minister.
“It is a very dangerous period and no one knows what’s going to happen,” said Nabil Salim, a political scientist from Baghdad University. “It has to be a package deal, and it all depends on what happens today in the Shia bloc meeting, if they are going to choose Mr. Maliki or somebody else.”
Mr. Maliki has already served two terms as prime minister of a Shia-dominated government, and many Sunnis in particular want to see a constitutional change to limit future prime ministers to two terms. Sunnis also want a guarantee of one of the top security ministries, either defense or police, and release of prisoners who have been held without charges or even, in many cases, after their acquittals.
Kurds for their part are seeking concessions allowing them to export and sell oil found in Kurdish areas, without permission from the national Oil Ministry.
So far Mr. Maliki has proved unwilling to make any concessions to Sunnis and Kurds that would bring them into the government.
“There is no way to make any deal with Sunnis and Kurds without getting rid of Maliki,” said one prominent Shiite politician. “We are talking with him but he is not accepting to make any deals because he keeps saying: ‘I am the owner of the biggest number of seats. Bring me someone who has what I got and I will step down.’ ”
The urgency of the discussions underway was underscored with a report Thursday that the bodies of nine young men were found in Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, a community that experienced severe bouts of sectarian bloodletting by Shiites and Sunnis in 2006. All nine had been shot multiple times, according to an official in the Ministry of Information, speaking on the condition of anonymity as a matter of government policy.
Mr. Maliki, in an interview with the BBC, said Syrian jets had carried out airstrikes against Sunni militants near Qaim, on the Syrian border, on Tuesday, the first official confirmation from the Iraqi government of the strikes. But Mr. Maliki, in an interview with the network’s Arabic service, said the attacks had been on the Syrian side of the border, not in Iraq.
“Yes, Syrian jets did strike al Qaim area inside the Syrian side of the border,” Mr. Maliki said, according to a BBC interpreter. “There was no coordination involved but we welcome this action. We actually welcome any Syrian strike against ISIS because this group targets both Iraq and Syria.”
He said the Iraqi government had not requested the Syrian airstrikes. “They carry out their strikes and we carry out ours, and the final winners are our two countries,” he said in the interview, which was posted on the BBC website.