Iraqis React with Disappointment to Delay in Forming Iraqi Government
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=C8A763:2F72C9DParliament failed to elect speaker despite weeks of negotiations
An Iraqi man reads about Tuesday's National Assembly meeting in
al-Sabah newspaper in BaghdadIraqis are reacting with anger and
disappointment to the latest delay in forming a new government, two
months after the country's first democratic elections in decades. The
second session of the national assembly ended in shouting and
finger-pointing as members failed to agree on a candidate for speaker.
Iraqis from across the political spectrum reacted with deep
disappointment to Tuesday's session of parliament, which failed to
make progress on forming the new government despite weeks of
negotiations.
Faisal al-Jadari, a 54-year-old bus driver, is angry. He says he and
his family went out to vote and risked retaliation from the
insurgents, but the officials they elected are not doing anything for
the people. As a result, he says, he has less trust in them.
Hamaa Admed, a school teacher, is also disappointed. She says the
delays are because the parliament members are focused on their ethnic
and sectarian backgrounds and are not looking out for the interests of
the people.
The session opened several hours late. Shi'ite and Kurdish blocks,
which control three-fourths of the seats, waited for the Sunni group
to decide on its candidate for speaker after Interim President Ghazi
al-Yawer declined the job. The Sunnis, who won less than 20 seats in
the 275-seat assembly after boycotting the polls, requested a
postponement and the session ended an hour later.
A candidate for vice president, Interim Finance Minister Adel Abdel
Mahdi, said his Shi'ite group is prepared to accept any speaker
nominated by the Sunnis.
"We will accept what our brothers would [recommend]. Its for them.
Well have to wait for their decision," he said.
Another Sunni Arab who declined to run for speaker, Interim Industry
Minister Hajem al-Hassani, said the Iraqi people are getting nervous
over the delays.
"It cannot go on forever," he said. "At a certain point they have to
stop and say we have to form a government or let this government
continue. That would be another alternative."
Mr. Hajem, a candidate for defense minister in the new government,
says the parliament, despite the leadership deadlock, could continue
to work on procedural rules and monitor the government.
Under the transitional law, the parliament is to elect the speaker,
then a president and two vice presidents who the have two weeks to
name the prime minister.
Negotiators say the presidency should go to Kurdish leader Jalal
Talibani and the premiership to Shi'ite leader Ibrahim al-Jaafari.
But disagreements continue over the cabinet. A negotiator for the
Shi'ites group, Ali al-Dabbagh, said his group is willing to cede the
defense ministry to a Sunni and the foreign affairs ministry to a
Kurd. But he said the Shi'ites want several other major cabinet posts.
"We cannot sacrifice the ministry of power electricity-oil and the
ministry of health," he said. "This is part of our program. We want to
uplift the condition of Iraqis."
The delays have led some leaders to fear an increase in the daily
violence.
During the parliamentary session, two mortar rounds exploded in the
fortified Green Zone that is the seat of government. No casualties
were reported. And car bombs killed one person and wounded a dozen
others in the northern city of Kirkuk and the southern city of Basra.