Iraq: Two car bombs hit Baghdad's Green Zone

Two car bombs have exploded near a security checkpoint at Baghdad's Green Zone, during the morning rush hour, killing and injuring a number of people. Iraqi soldiers were reportedly among the casualties, the number of victims is yet to be determined.

Baghdad's security spokesman Maj Gen Qassim Al-Moussawi said two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a line of vehicles queuing at the western entry to the Green Zone, the location of government buildings and foreign embassies.

Al-Moussawi noted that both cars were filled with heavy duty explosives, and went off near two motorcades carrying a senior army commander and an official with Iraq's presidential council, but gave no further details to confirm whether or not the officials were the targets of the attack.

Iraq's Parliament issued a statement saying one of the explosions hit the motorcade of Amjad Abdul Hameed adviser to parliamentary speaker Osama al-Nujaifi. The statement went on to say that Hameed did not sustain any injuries but that one of his bodyguards was killed and three others were wounded.

Sources: BBC, Reuters, Adnkronos International English, Newsday

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.