Kurdish VP: Race for Iraq PM Far From Over

[cal04]

Kurdish interim vice president on Wednesday said negotiations to pick the country's new prime minister were far from over, as Iraq's new political king-makers sought to secure top jobs, including the largely ceremonial post of president. Haggling over senior positions in the upcoming government came against the backdrop of more violence. A car bomb killed two people and wounded 14 in the northern city of Mosul, and a U.S. soldier was killed in a separate bomb attack north of Baghdad, officials said.

The dominant Shiite coalition on Tuesday chose Ibrahim al-Jaafari, one of two interim vice presidents and leader of a religious party that fought Saddam Hussein, as its candidate for prime minister — making him the overwhelming favorite for the post.

But for al-Jaafari to take the premiership he must build a coalition to gain agreement from Kurds and others on the presidency and candidates for Cabinet posts before seeking the support of a majority of the National Assembly elected Jan. 30. Incumbent premier Ayad Allawi has shown no sign of giving up his own bid for the powerful post.

Al-Jaafari is "a man I can work with, but to discuss who will be the prime minister of Iraq, this still needs more time," Kurdish interim vice president Rowsch Nouri Shaways told reporters. "We aim to get high rank in the government institutions. We aim to get one of the top positions and we aim to participate in the Council of Ministers, suitable with our percentage in the elections." Kurdish parties, which won 75 seats in the 275-seat national assembly, want Jalal Talabani, a secular Sunni Kurd and leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, to be Iraq's next president.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20050223/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[ECH1969]

1. He is correct

This article talks alot about it. Both the Kurds and Allawi are going to hold this up for some time to at least get major concessions about not forcing Islam into the new government and not expelling Sunni's from positions in the military and in government.

http://tinyurl.com/6jrrk

[leftchick]

2. Kurdish VP: Race for Iraq PM Far From Over

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20050223/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

But for al-Jaafari to take the premiership he must build a coalition to gain agreement from Kurds and others on the presidency and candidates for Cabinet posts before seeking the support of a majority of the National Assembly elected Jan. 30.


Incumbent premier Ayad Allawi has shown no sign of giving up his own bid for the powerful post.


Al-Jaafari is "a man I can work with, but to discuss who will be the prime minister of Iraq, this still needs more time," Kurdish interim vice president Rowsch Nouri Shaways told reporters. "We aim to get high rank in the government institutions. We aim to get one of the top positions and we aim to participate in the Council of Ministers, suitable with our percentage in the elections."


Kurdish parties, which won 75 seats in the 275-seat national assembly, want Jalal Talabani, a secular Sunni Kurd and leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, to be Iraq's next president.

[cal04]

3. Allawi Forming Coalition to Fight for PM

Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said Wednesday he was forming a broad coalition to fight for the post of prime minister after Iraq's dominant Shiite political party nominated a conservative candidate. Allawi would not provide details of the proposed coalition, but he promised it would seek to establish a government "which believes in Iraq and its principles."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=2&u=/ap/20050223/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[heyphillip]

4. Prime Minister job

This fight for Iraqi Prime Minister has the Bush Administration written all over it. it is obvious they are trying everything they can to get Allawi elected as the next in charge. DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS MY ASS