Foreign Affairs

unhappycamper

(60,364 posts) Thu Jun 26, 2014, 09:45 AM Jun 2014

Iraqi parliament to meet in step to form new govt

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_IRAQ?SITE=VANOV&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-06-26-09-20-43

Iraqi parliament to meet in step to form new govt
By SINAN SALAHEDDIN and DIAA HADID
Associated Press Writer
Jun 26, 9:20 AM EDT

BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraq's vice president called on parliament to convene on Tuesday, taking the first step toward forming a new government to present a united front against a rapidly advancing Sunni insurgency while Britain's top diplomat started an official visit to the country to urge the country's leaders to put their differences aside for the good of the nation.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's political bloc won the most seats in April 30 elections - with 92 seats out of the 328 - but he needs support from other blocs to govern with a majority. His efforts to form a coalition have been complicated by the current crisis as critics blame his failure to promote national reconciliation for the Sunni anger fueling the insurgent gains and want him to step down.

Khudeir al-Khuzaie statement ordered the new parliament to hold its first session on Tuesday and to be chaired by the eldest member.

Constitutionally the next step would be to elect a speaker and two deputies, then within 30 days to choose a new president who in return has 15 days to ask the largest bloc to choose a prime minister and form the new government. The Prime Minister-designate has 30 days to present his cabinet to the parliament within 30 days. Absolute majority is needed to approve new government inside parliament.

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Iraqi parliament to meet in step to form new govt (Original Post) unhappycamper Jun 2014 OP

Iraq's al-Sadr calls for emergency government bemildred Jun 2014 #1

ISIS sets its sights on Jordan bemildred Jun 2014 #2

bemildred

(90,061 posts)

1. Iraq's al-Sadr calls for emergency government

Reply to unhappycamper (Original post)

Thu Jun 26, 2014, 12:12 PM

Jun 2014

Moqtada al-Sadr, a powerful Iraqi Shia religious leader, has called for a national emergency government, a day after Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, rejected any attempts to challenge his rule.

Sadr, whose Mahdi Army has pledged to battle the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), on Wednesday said the Iraqi government "must fulfil the legitimate demands of the moderate Sunnis and stop excluding them because they have been marginalised".

He demanded "new faces" in a national unity government following April 30 elections that saw Maliki emerge with by far the most seats, albeit short of a majority.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/06/iraqi-cleric-pushes-emergency-government-201462663616968368.html

bemildred

(90,061 posts)

2. ISIS sets its sights on Jordan

Reply to unhappycamper (Original post)

Thu Jun 26, 2014, 12:13 PM

Jun 2014

The ramifications of ISIS’ recent victories [in Iraq] did not take long to reach Jordan, in particular the southern Maan region, a hotbed of tension where a few days ago dozens of Salafi jihadis held a pro-ISIS march. They called for the removal of the borders established by the Sykes-Picot agreement and backed "the ISIS conquest of Iraq."

Amman: As ISIS redraws the map in Syria and Iraq, Jordan is only a stone's throw away from its fighters. They took control of the Turaibil border crossing for several hours, before the Iraqi army announced they had managed to recapture the crossing and expelled the gunmen. Sources are indicating that Jordan participated in a raid on ISIS convoys, although security officials in the kingdom refused to comment on the situation.

The initial hit-and-run attacks along the 181 kilometer-long border are raising concerns in Amman about ISIS expanding into Jordanian territory. Jordan is already witnessing a tense security situation due to the presence of many Syrian refugees, as well as the participation of around two thousand Jordanians in armed Islamist groups, who have expressed that Jordan might be their next goal. This was made clear in several clips posted on YouTube, the main media platform for the armed groups.

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/isis-sets-its-sights-jordan

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