Iraqi leaders fail to break deadlock: National unity government
BAGHDAD, March 26: Iraqi politicians failed to find a breakthrough in talks on Sunday on forming a national unity government despite mounting US pressure. “There isn’t total agreement, nor is there total disagreement,” said Wael Abdel Latif, a politician with former prime minister Iyad Allawi’s National List after talks concluded.
“The thorniest point is the security portfolio and who will be holding it,” he said. Iraq’s politicians are under heavy pressure from the United States and other countries to form a government and stem the tide of violence.
“It is critical that the newly elected leaders of Iraq do their part by forming a government of national unity with a good programme and competent ministers as soon as possible,” said US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad on Sunday.
Khalilzad has repeatedly stated that ministries, especially those related to security, should not be allocated on the basis of sectarian or ethnic identities, but rather on the skill of the candidate.
Over the past week, there have been numerous statements from US officials, including President George W. Bush, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as well as visiting congressional officials that a government needs to be formed soon.
As the talks dragged on, a 13-year-old schoolboy was killed walking to school on Sunday when a bomb exploded on his path in the southern town of Basra, police said.
Basra, which is under control of British forces, is predominantly Shia area and generally sees less violence than Baghdad and the north of the country.
In a visit on Saturday, US Republican Senator John McCain expressed the urgency of forming a new government and hinted that the American people were losing patience with Iraq making further support of the fledgling democracy difficult.
“We need very badly to form this unity government as soon as possible,” he said. “We read the polls; we know the American people are frustrated.”
McCain said that in discussions with Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, he was told most of the cabinet positions have already been apportioned save for particularly sensitive positions such as that of interior minister.
One of the sticking points of negotiations is the newly crafted National Security Council made up of members of all the major parties and expected to deal with questions of security.
The Shias want the body to be solely advisory in nature, while the other groups see it as a way of diluting Shia dominance of the new government. Shias form 60 per cent of Iraq’s 26 million population while Sunnis make up about 20 per cent. Kurds, who are predominantly Sunni, make up about 15-20 per cent and the remainder is Christian or from other smaller sects.—AFP
