May 23, 2011
Resolution talks between Maliki, Allawi and Barzani imminent, says SLC deputy
Najaf, The heads of the two main political blocs in the Iraqi parliament are to meet soon with Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani, in a bid to resolve ongoing disputes between them, said a State of Law Coalition (SLC) MP on Monday.
Najaf deputy Abdul-Hussein al Yasiri said that this important meeting between the SLC leader and Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, and the leader of al-Iraqiya, Ayad Allawi, aims at the development of a joint strategy to take Iraq towards greater political and economic stability.
The meeting, which may be as soon as the beginning of next week, requires careful preparation, Yasiri said.
"It is now time for the two leaders to meet as they represent the two biggest blocs in the country...Iraq is at a vital stage of development and so needs greater national cohesion and a (joint) plan for the future.”
Leaked reports indicate that six major issues will be addressed between the leaders: the distribution of state ministries between the political blocs; the revival of the National Council for Strategic Policies through a Parliamentary bill; the suspension of accountability and justice procedures; the prevention of arrests without court orders; nominations for the security ministers’ posts; cabinet procedures and a plan to review its current formation in parliament.
Four meetings have been held so far between the Iraqiya List and the SLC under the auspices of the Kurdistan Blocs Coalition (KBC) to resolve the most outstanding disputes between the political blocs.
This is not the first time President Barzani has stepped in to bring the two leaders together.
In September last year, Barzani presented an initiative to the political blocs to resolve the nine-month government formation stalemate through the formation of a power-sharing, national unity government.
The initiative included the formation of a committee consisting of 8 to 12 representatives of the different political factions, working together to resolve the outstanding differences between them as a precursor to a meeting in Erbil of their leaders in December that led to the formation of the current administration.
Under the Erbil agreement, Maliki and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani – a Kurd – were to retain their offices for a second term, and al-Iraqiya List leader Ayad Allawi, who secured a narrow majority of votes in the elections, would head a new executive body called the National Council for Strategic Policies (NCSP) as an attempt to maintain balance.
The Iraqi parliament gave its vote of confidence to the incomplete ministerial line-up headed by al-Maliki on Dec. 21.
Several ministerial posts, including the leadership of the three key security ministries, were left unassigned because of the lack of consensus between the political blocs over the candidates nominated to fill them.
Prime Minister Maliki continues to head the three ministries in a caretaking capacity.
The al-Iraqiya List meanwhile, has repeatedly accused Maliki, whose list only overcame Allawi’s by controversially forming a super-bloc, the National Coalition (NC), with the Sadrist Current following the elections, of not abiding to the terms of the Erbil agreement.
With the NCSP not yet formed, six months after the Erbil accord was signed, Iraqiya leaders have threatened to withdraw from the partnership government and accused Maliki of monopolizing power and failing to implement all terms of the deal.
The disputes between the leaders resulted last week in a volley of insults and accusations between them through the Iraqi media. While Allawi openly accused Maliki of sectarianism and bowing down to foreign agendas, Maliki accused Allawi of shirking his responsibilities and having an “understanding of partnership as sharing in the spoils and gains.”
http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/4/241811
