US troops in Iraq: Will they stay or will they go?

Leader of Al-Iraqiya party Iyad Allawi has called on Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki to declare the status of US Forces within the country. Allawi voiced concern that the agreement between Baghdad and Washington was unclear, and noted that national partnership among the various factions is yet to be put into practice.

In a meeting with EU Ambassadors to Baghdad, Allawi said Al-Maliki is yet to clarify the US-Iraqi security agreement. He added that many were unsure whether the US troops would remain or withdraw from Iraq, or the timescale for either plan of action.

Following Allawi's comments, a senior US military official said US troops are expected to withdraw from the country at the end of the year, adding that Iraqi leaders should not expect them to return to mediate the security situation.

According to AFP, the anonymous security official, said: "If we left, and this is the health warning we would give to anybody, be careful about assuming that we will come running back to put out the fire if we don't have an agreement."

The official also noted that it would be wise of Iraqi leaders to request US troops to remain and train the Iraqi armed forces, a suggestion first made by US Defence Secretary Chief Robert Gates during his recent visit to Baghdad.

The US presence in Iraq remains a contentious issue, and one which seems no closer to a resolution. Gates spokesman Geoff Morrell said the Pentagon chief's message to Iraqi leaders was: "You all need to figure out what you need of us and what's politically feasible and we're ready to work with you on how to address those needs."

Speaking about the situation last year, Iraqi armed forces chief of staff, Gen Babaker Zebari, said the US withdrawal at the end of 2011 would be premature, adding that his forces would be unable to maintain security within the country unaided before 2020.

Sources: Alsumaria, AFP, Press TV

For more news and expert analysis about Iraq, please see Iraq Focus.

Iraqi parliament approves new cabinet, after a nine month deadlock

The Iraqi parliament has unanimously approved Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki's 43 selected appointees for the country's cabinet, a record breaking nine month after the parliamentary elections.

After months of political wrangling among the country's main factions, the parliament has finally agreed a unity government consisting of representative from the Kurdish, Sunni and Shi'a blocs. The parliament approved three deputy prime ministers, 29 other cabinet ministers and the new government programme. It also approved nine remaining interim ministers, and agreed that control of the three security portfolios should rest with al-Maliki.

Speaking about the delay in nominating the remaining ministers, al-Maliki said “I need more time to choose better, and I will continue to study the (resumes) to be able to choose on the basis of efficiency and professionalism." He also said that one of the reasons for the delay was the apparent lack of women candidates, adding “I find myself obliged... to wait for the political entities to present women candidates."

Former Iraqi prime minister, Iyad Allawi, whose Iraqiya bloc took 91 seats in the March elections but was unable to form a government, expressed approval of the new government on behalf of the party by saying "We wish and we hope for this government to succeed in meeting the people's requirements… we are announcing our full support for the government."

The newly appointed cabinet and lawmakers of the Iraqi 325-member Parliament face the difficult task of working together to rebuild the war-torn country. Speaking about the incomplete cabinet, al-Maliki's advisor, Ali Moussawi, said the selected candidates represented the various factions of political blocs rather than al-Maliki's own personal preference.

Al-Maliki's State of Law Aliance managed to win 89 seats in the March elections, and like Allawi's Iraqiya was unable to form a government, despite prolonged negotiations with various representative of the Shi's, Sunni and Kurdish blocs.

Sources: Guardian, AFP, The New York Times, Reuters

For more news and expert analysis about Iraq, please see Iraq Focus.

Iraqi parliament due to vote on formation of new government

Iraqi parliament is due to vote on the formation of new government later today, following Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki's selection of 42 nominees for ministerial posts after more than nine of political deadlock.

The new parliament will represent all major factions including the Kurds, Shi'a and Sunni Muslims. Iraqi lawmakers are schedualed to cast their votes on al-Maliki's nominees – which leaves Kurdish foreign minister Hoshiyar Zebari in place and includes current oil minister Hussain al-Shahristani as deputy prime minister for energy – later this morning.

Al-Maliki was set to unveil his selection on Monday 20th December, but prolonged negotiations between rival factions delayed the proceedings and the parliament adjourned without the selection. Experts say that there will be disagreements among the nominees, and some will meet resistance from rival faction members but the real test of the coalition will be when the newly selected government gets down to work to tackle many of Iraq's ongoing problems.

A record breaking nine months of political deadlock was broken when former prime minister Iyad Allawi - whose Sunni-backed coalition won the most seats in Iraq's March election - ended weeks of wavering and said he would join a new government unveiled on Monday. His decision has paved the way for co-operation between Iraq's Shi'a, Sunni and Kurdish political factions.

Speaker Osama Al-Nujaifi said that al-Maliki had met the deadline to designate Iraq's new government and that the vote could take place as early as Tuesday 22nd December. Al-Nujaifi, member of the Sunni-backed Iraqiya alliance that won the most seats in the March election, fought al-Maliki from keeping his job until this month.

Speaking about the task in hand al-Maliki said, “The formation of national unity government in Iraq is a difficult and hard task because we need to find place in the government for all those who participated and won in the elections.”

Sources: BBC News, Alsumaria, Reuters, Tehran Times

For more news and expert analysis about Iraq, please see Iraq Focus.

Nouri al-Maliki has 30 days to form new government

Iraq's President Jalal Talabani has appointed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to form a new government. Al-Maliki has 30 days to negotiate potential obstacles as he delegates ministerial portfolios to various Iraqi political factions.

Iraq has been without a new government for a record breaking eight months, following inconclusive result returned during March parliamentary elections. After months of limbo and political wrangles, a deal was finally reached two weeks ago allowing al-Maliki to remain in his post.

His task to divide-up ministries among Iraq's notoriously fractions political parties might prove more difficult than initially thought. The new government is expected to comprise of all the major factions, including the Kurds and Shi'a political parties aligned with Iran. It is also to include Iyad Allawi's Sunni backed al-Iraqiyya coalition bloc, which won more seats than al-Maliki's largely Shi'a National Alliance, but lost out in the negotiations.

Source: BBC News

For more news and expert analysis about Iraq, please see Iraq Focus.

Iraq forms news government, breaking eight month deadlock

After two power-sharing talks, Iraq's main political parties have agreed to form a new government, finally breaking the eight month political deadlock. Kurdish regional president Masoud Barzani, who presided over the talks, called the deal a "national partnership".

The parties reached a deal to keep Nouri Maliki as prime minister, with support from his main opponent Iyad Allawi, who will head a council for national strategy, while his faction get the Speaker's post and the foreign ministry. The presidency of the republic is expected to be retained by the current incumbent, Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani. Once parliament convenes, it is expected to begin by electing its own Speaker and his deputies.

The agreement is said to provide checks and balances against the abuse of power by any one group. The US commended Iraq and said the new deal was a "big step forward".

The chamber will then elect the president of the republic who will in turn invite the biggest parliamentary coalition, Maliki's, to nominate its candidate to try to form a government. He would then have a month to try to put an administration together.

Source: BBC News

For more news and expert analysis about Iraq, please see Iraq Focus.

Iraqi political leaders in power-sharing talks

Iraq's political leaders have met, in the city of Irbil, for the first time since the March elections, in an attempt to break the eight month political deadlock that's gripped the country. The talks are to be resumed later today in the country's capital city of Baghdad.

Iraqi officials have said that there are major obstacles to be overcome before all parties reach a power-sharing agreement. The purpose of the meetings, the first of which was hosted by Kurdish regional president Masoud Barzani, is to form a government of national unity, that includes Shi'a, Sunnis and Kurds, before a parliamentary session on Thursday [11th November].

The political leaders are yet to agree on nominations for prime minister, president and speaker in time for the parliamentary session. The two men in the running for the post of prime minister, the incumbent Nouri al-Maliki and his opponent Iyad Allawi, are at the crux of the political deadlock.

Al-Maliki has more or less won the battle to assemble coalition allies and according to experts it would be highly surprising if he was ousted from his current position. However, it has become increasing clear, over the course of the last eight moths, that everybody in Iraq wants a government of national unity which would embrace all the major groups in the country including Allawi's al-Iraqiyya which won the bulk of the Sunni vote. In the past, Sunni exclusion was a major factor fuelling insurgency in Iraq.

Allawi is in the process of seeking a new "National Council for Strategic Policy" with decision-making powers equal to the prime minister's. But al-Maliki is refusing to allow the powers of his office to be diluted, arguing it would be unconstitutional and ineffective. This is believed to be the key issue holding up power-sharing talks. The political deadlock has been ongoing since March when neither Maliki's State of Law bloc nor Allawi's al-Iraqiyya movement secured an outright majority of seats, making Iraq world record breaker for the longest time taken to form a new government.

Source: BBC News

For more news and expert analysis about Iraq, please see Iraq Focus.