Sunni dispute prevents Iraq government deal

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005

Iraq's new parliament once again failed to agree on a government yesterday in a chaotic session - only the second it has held since being elected two months ago.

Iraqi audiences watched 20 minutes of stormy debate in the chamber yesterday before the acting speaker shut off the television cameras and the broadcast was replaced by traditional music.

The flashpoint was the selection of senior posts for Sunni Arabs in the government. Sunnis, who largely boycotted the election, have been alloted the post of parliamentary speaker and one of two vice-presidents by the dominant Shia and Kurdish blocs, but Sunni politicians said no less than 32 different political factions would need to be consulted on the choice of candidates.

Sunni delegates said they had not been given enough time to reach a consensus, and complained the other blocs were trying to push chosen Sunni allies into the post of speaker.

The disagreement highlights the leadership vacuum in the Sunni community, which had ruled Iraq since the 1920s until Saddam Hussein was ousted in 2003.

It has also frayed nerves in parliament - one deputy demanded to know the "details of what was going behind the scenes" in closed-door negotiations, minutes before the acting speaker ordered the live television feed to be cut.

Abd al-Karem al-Moh-ammedawi, a tribal leader from the country's Shia south, said "The Iraqi people . . . have lost much of their trust in the parliament, and some are regretting their participation in the elections."

There appears to be growing disquiet in Washington over the length of time political factions in Iraq are taking to agree a new government. US President George W. Bush delivered a speech yesterday emphasising the importance of compromise in democratic politics.

"We expect a new government will be chosen soon and that the assembly will vote to confirm it," Mr Bush said. "We look forward to working with the government that emerges from this process. We're confident that this new government will be inclusive, will respect human rights and will uphold fundamental freedoms for all Iraqis."

Iraqi politicians pointed out that while the inter-Sunni dispute has not been resolved, the Shia-led United Iraqi Alliance and a Kurdish coalition had made considerable progress in recent weeks towards forming a national unity government.

Yesterday's meeting adjourned, with parliamentarians declaring Sunni Arabs could have until Sunday to agree on a joint candidate for the speakership.

By JAMES HARDING, STEVE NEGUS and DHIYA RASAN