New Iraqi Parliament Begins First Session
VOA News 14 June 2010
Iraq's new parliament convened Monday for the first time since inconclusive national elections in March.
Iraqi lawmakers took an oath of office during the new parliamentary session. Speaker Fouad Massoum then adjourned the session, saying a president for parliament will be chosen at a later date.
Some lawmakers have warned that the formation of a new Iraqi government could take months.
The two key rivals, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and former prime minister Ayad Allawi held talks in Baghdad Saturday. An advisor to Mr. Maliki (Ali al-Dabbagh) said the session has "opened the door" for more dialogue between the two leaders.
No political group emerged from the March 7 election with enough parliamentary seats to form a majority. Mr. Allawi's Sunni-backed Iraqiya alliance won the most seats - two more than the mainly Shi'ite State of Law coalition lead by Mr. Maliki.
Prime Minister Maliki has insisted that he should lead the government. After the election, his coalition teamed up with the third-place Iraqi National Alliance, which includes anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered the withdrawal of all combat forces from Iraq by September, with 50,000 troops to remain. Under a security agreement, all U.S. troops must pull out of Iraq by 2011.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
