Iraqi rivals deadlocked as new parliament meets

[June 14, 2010]  BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraq's new parliament convened Monday in what was little more than a symbolic inaugural session because of unresolved differences over key positions including parliament speaker, president and prime minister -- a precarious political limbo three months after inconclusive elections.

The sides are sharply divided over the formation of a new government, and analysts and some lawmakers have warned that a decision could still be months away. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is battling to keep his job after the rival Sunni-backed Iraqiya list narrowly won the most seats in the March 7 balloting.

In parliament, al-Maliki watched as his chief rival, Ayad Allawi, who heads the Iraqiya bloc, and other lawmakers stood to take the oath of office in Arabic and Kurdish.

Under Iraq's constitution, the legislature should have chosen a parliament speaker and a president, but these appointments had to be put off because they are part of the negotiations between major political blocs over the rest of the new leadership -- including a prime minister and top Cabinet officials.

Acting speaker, Fouad Massoum, adjourned the session after about 10 minutes, saying a president would be chosen later because the parties needed more time to discuss the issue.

"We found out that the blocs and the lawmakers need more time for discussions to choose the members of the presidential council," Massoum said.

He said the session would be left open, a technicality aimed at allowing negotiations to continue beyond the 30-day deadline set in the constitution. No date was set for the next meeting.

The session began amid heightened security, a day after insurgents stormed the country's central bank in a coordinated attack that left more than 20 people dead.

Persistent violence has raised fears that al-Qaida in Iraq and other insurgents are trying to exploit the political deadlock to foment unrest and derail security gains as the U.S. military prepares to withdraw by the end of next year.

The U.N. envoy to Iraq declined to predict when parliament would meet again, saying it could be anywhere from two weeks to three months. But he said the fact that parliament was seated put pressure on the factions to reach agreement.

"This is an invitation by the newly elected parliament to make sure as soon as possible they can start to function effectively," he said.

Al-Maliki's State of Law coalition, which won 89 seats to come in second place behind Allawi's Iraqiya list, has joined forces with a religiously devout Shiite alliance to form an Iranian-backed bloc called the National Alliance.

Iraqiya leaders have claimed they should have the first crack at forming the government because they won the most seats on election day. But a March court opinion opened the door to the possibility that the largest bloc could be one created after the election through negotiations -- meaning that if the super-Shiite coalition holds together, it could have the right to form the government.

Massoum confirmed the National Alliance as an entity, but said it was up to the Federal Court to make a decision on the formation of the government.

The Shiite bloc insisted it should be the one to choose a prime ministerial candidate, who would then have to be approved by the president.

"Today lawmakers have completed their membership and we are the biggest parliamentary bloc," said Khalid al-Attiyah, a National Alliance lawmaker.

The political jockeying was taking place amid fears that Sunnis who supported Allawi, a secular Shiite, could turn to violence if they feel disenfranchised. Much of the violence that broke out after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion was fueled by retaliatory attacks between Sunnis who lost the dominance they had under Saddam Hussein and Shiite extremists.

Iraqi security forces sealed off the area surrounding the central bank and nearby stores were closed Monday, a day after the assault on the bank.

Witnesses and Iraqi police and army officials at the scene said there were about six attackers wearing military uniforms. The bank's main entrance and the pavement were still stained with blood.

Iraqi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi has blamed the attack on al-Qaida in Iraq.

[Associated Press; By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and LARA JAKES]

Associated Press writers Sinan Salaheddin, Hamid Ahmed and Hadeel al-Shalchi contributed to this report.

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