Iraq To Convene National Assembly As Sunni Parliament Chief Sought

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraq puts its fragile democracy to the test today, convening its first freely elected National Assembly in recent history after last minute bargaining over Sunni Arab candidates to head the Assembly. Car bombings killed five Iraqi civilians and one American soldier.Meanwhile, the American-led coalition came under pressure as Prime Minister Berlusconi announced yesterday that Italy’s 3,000 troops would begin leaving as the Iraqis slowly take control, a move that could complicate efforts to keep the peace.Shiite Muslim officials said they failed to reach final agreement in talks with the Kurds – who are mostly Sunni Muslims, but secular – and the Sunni Arabs. But those failures were not enough to prevent the 275-member National Assembly from preparing to meet today for the first time since the January 30 elections.“It will be a historic event because the Iraqi people will witness an elected parliament for the first time in their lives,” said Ali al-Dabagh, a member of the Shiite clergy-dominated United Iraqi Alliance, which won the most seats in the elections.Mr. al-Dabagh added that Shiite, Kurdish, and Sunni Arab politicians would meet after the deputies are sworn in “to finalize things. We need two to three days to announce an agreement.”The Shiite alliance won 140 seats in the National Assembly, but needs the Kurds’ 75 seats to assemble the two thirds majority required to elect a president, who will then nominate the prime minister.The Assembly session was to start with speeches from members of the interim government, followed by political party leaders and end with a swearing-in ceremony, officials said, adding that the Parliament could meet over a number of days.Shiite talks with Sunni Arabs focused on naming an Assembly speaker, and it remained unclear if they would present a candidate today. Although the speaker’s role is mostly restricted to presiding over the assembly and moderating discussions, the job has a great deal of visibility.Sunni Arabs are believed to make up the core of the insurgency, and including them in the political process is seen as a way to isolate the insurgents.American General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, predicted to reporters traveling with him on a swing through Iraq that insurgent violence would surge in the weeks ahead as the National Assembly is convened and the government takes shape.“So there’s a long way to go,” General Myers said, before Iraq is stable enough to defend itself without the presence of American troops, which now number about 148,000. He declined to say when an American withdrawal might begin.Mr. Berlusconi’s remarks represented the first time a country has connected a troop withdrawal to the ability of Iraqis to take control over their security.“In September we will begin a gradual reduction of the number of our soldiers in Iraq,” Italy’s ANSA news agency quoted Mr. Berlusconi as saying during a taping of a state TV talk show. The withdrawal “will depend on the capability of the Iraqi government to establish … acceptable security,” he said.White House spokesman Scott McClellan responded: “We certainly appreciate the contributions of the Italians. They have served and sacrificed alongside Iraqis and alongside other coalition forces.”To prevent suicide car bomb attacks against new Iraq’s lawmakers, authorities stepped up security around the heavily fortified Green Zone, where the National Assembly was to meet. Two bridges leading to the zone were shut down, and roadblocks were erected on other streets leading to the area.An insurgent car bomb attack near Baghdad airport, where Myers had met American troops, killed an American soldier and wounded another six, the military said.Although it was unclear if it was the same attack, Iraqi police said a car bombing in the same area – and at the same time – targeted an American military convoy and killed four civilians and wounded another seven.When American forces arrived to evacuate the injured, another car bomb exploded, wounding more troops. One Humvee was destroyed and two civilian cars were in flames, witnesses said.An American military spokesman said he was checking into that report.The United Iraqi Alliance and a Kurdish coalition agreed last week to form a coalition government with Shiite politician Ibrahim al-Jaafari as prime minister. In return, Jalal Talabani will become Iraq’s first Kurdish president, though the presidency is a largely ceremonial post.“The Kurds want to make some amendments on the deal, and we are going to finish soon, Thursday to be exact. We do not want to impose any name from our side regarding the post of the parliament speaker. We want the Sunnis to nominate some persons for this post, but till now they have not done this,” Mr. al-Dabagh said.Sunni Arab negotiators at yesterday’s meeting included Ghazi al-Yawer, the interim president – a possible choice for speaker – the Iraqi Islamic Party, and Iraqi nationalist leader Adnan Pachachi.Sunni Arabs, who make up only about 20% of the population but were the dominant group under Saddam Hussein’s regime, largely stayed away from the elections – either to honor a boycott call or because they feared being attacked at the polls by insurgents.

Iraq To Convene National Assembly As Sunni Parliament Chief Sought

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