postcon
07-20-2007, 01:35 AM
Sunnis' return to parliament signals problems for oil law
Sunni legislators returned to Iraq's parliament Thursday after a five-week boycott, raising hopes the assembly can make progress on power-sharing bills demanded by Washington before the lawmakers take a month's break. But the return of the Sunnis and a hard-line Shiite faction loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr could also signal problems for many of the bills, including the oil law, which is a top U.S. priority.
The 44 members of the Iraqi Accordance Front attended Thursday's session after striking a deal with the Shiites and Kurds to reinstate the Sunni speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who was ousted by the Shiite-dominated assembly last month for erratic behavior.
Under a face-saving formula, al-Mashhadani is to resign after presiding over a few sessions. One official said al-Mashhadani was to step down or parliament will force him out.
The Sunnis returned to the 275-member parliament two days after al-Sadr's 30 lawmakers ended their boycott. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government accepted the Sadrists' demands for rebuilding a Shiite shrine damaged by bombings.
The two boycotts had paralyzed the legislature, which is under strong criticism from the Americans for failing to approve key legislation and for plans to take a month's vacation in August at a time when U.S. and Iraqi troops are fighting and dying on the battlefield.
The Sunnis and the al-Sadr bloc are still refusing to attend Cabinet meetings. And it is also uncertain whether the return of those two factions means approval of major legislative benchmarks can be assured.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/4983828.html
Sunni legislators returned to Iraq's parliament Thursday after a five-week boycott, raising hopes the assembly can make progress on power-sharing bills demanded by Washington before the lawmakers take a month's break. But the return of the Sunnis and a hard-line Shiite faction loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr could also signal problems for many of the bills, including the oil law, which is a top U.S. priority.
The 44 members of the Iraqi Accordance Front attended Thursday's session after striking a deal with the Shiites and Kurds to reinstate the Sunni speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who was ousted by the Shiite-dominated assembly last month for erratic behavior.
Under a face-saving formula, al-Mashhadani is to resign after presiding over a few sessions. One official said al-Mashhadani was to step down or parliament will force him out.
The Sunnis returned to the 275-member parliament two days after al-Sadr's 30 lawmakers ended their boycott. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government accepted the Sadrists' demands for rebuilding a Shiite shrine damaged by bombings.
The two boycotts had paralyzed the legislature, which is under strong criticism from the Americans for failing to approve key legislation and for plans to take a month's vacation in August at a time when U.S. and Iraqi troops are fighting and dying on the battlefield.
The Sunnis and the al-Sadr bloc are still refusing to attend Cabinet meetings. And it is also uncertain whether the return of those two factions means approval of major legislative benchmarks can be assured.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/4983828.html