SaraDinar
03-09-2006, 11:41 AM
Iraq parliament likely to convene Sunday: officials
Mar 9, 2006 — BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi parties agreed on Thursday that the new parliament, elected last December, must convene at latest on Sunday, but the Shi'ite alliance which won the election has yet to agree to attend the session.
"In my view, the Alliance will agree to meet on Sunday," the Alliance official said. Without the Alliance deputies, parliament would barely have a quorum for taking any decisions.
Sunni and Kurdish parties are pressing the Alliance, which is just short of a majority in the legislature, to drop Ibrahim al-Jaafari as its candidate for prime minister.
Despite internal divisions on the issue, the Shi'ites have resisted such demands and asked President Jalal Talabani earlier this week to delay the first session of parliament by a few days for them to debate the matter further.
Iraq's supreme judicial authority took part in Thursday's meetings and confirmed that Sunday was the latest date under the constitution on which parliament could convene, officials said.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1704404
Mar 9, 2006 — BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi parties agreed on Thursday that the new parliament, elected last December, must convene at latest on Sunday, but the Shi'ite alliance which won the election has yet to agree to attend the session.
"In my view, the Alliance will agree to meet on Sunday," the Alliance official said. Without the Alliance deputies, parliament would barely have a quorum for taking any decisions.
Sunni and Kurdish parties are pressing the Alliance, which is just short of a majority in the legislature, to drop Ibrahim al-Jaafari as its candidate for prime minister.
Despite internal divisions on the issue, the Shi'ites have resisted such demands and asked President Jalal Talabani earlier this week to delay the first session of parliament by a few days for them to debate the matter further.
Iraq's supreme judicial authority took part in Thursday's meetings and confirmed that Sunday was the latest date under the constitution on which parliament could convene, officials said.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1704404