Iraq Govt Seen Delayed; Violence Hits Baghdad

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050421/wl_nm/iraq_dc&cid=574&ncid=1480


Iraqi President Jalal Talabani told Turkish television he did not think a deal could be reached, reversing hopes he expressed on Wednesday. Disagreement remained evident among the main factions -- Shi'ite Muslims, Kurds and Sunnis.


"I think the government will not be announced today ... We want to see the Sunni Arabs represented as well ... Negotiations also continue over the allocation of some posts," the Kurdish leader told Turkey's CNN Turk television in an interview.


Disputes surfaced at a meeting late on Wednesday, with caretaker Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who narrowly escaped assassination shortly after the talks, rejecting an offer to join the cabinet, sources involved in the negotiations said.


"The talks were going well, but the Shi'ites offered Allawi just two ministries, not the four that he wants, and he rejected the offer," one source said, referring to ministries offered to Allawi's political grouping.

we will have a few more suicide bombing to fill the leadership gap.

A 34-year-old security contractor from New South Wales has been killed in Iraq.
The man died in a small arms attack on the road to Baghdad international airport around noon yesterday (1800 AEST), the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said today.

Two other foreign nationals died in the attack.
The family of the former Australian Army member and reservist had been informed, and they were being provided with consular assistance, a DFAT spokeswoman said. The man was discharged from the Army in 1999.

The Australian consul-general in Baghdad was helping to organise the repatriation of the man's remains to Australia, the DFAT spokeswoman said."Security in Baghdad remains very dangerous, particularly on the road to the airport," she said.

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