Allawi and al-Maliki discuss government formation

By Mohammed al-Qaisi in Baghdad
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-07-01



				[Sabah Arar/AFP/Getty Images] Ayad Allawi (above) invited Nouri al-Maliki to his house to discuss the next government.

[Sabah Arar/AFP/Getty Images] Ayad Allawi (above) invited Nouri al-Maliki to his house to discuss the next government.

Iraqis breathed a sigh of relief following an announcement by leaders of the two largest Iraqi parliamentary blocs -- incumbent Prime Minister and State of Law leader Nouri al-Maliki and al-Iraqiyah leader Ayad Allawi – that they would respect constitutional deadlines in forming the next government.

Following a meeting on Tuesday (June 29th), Al-Maliki and Allawi also announced the next government would represent Iraqis from across the political spectrum.

Government spokesperson Ali al-Dabbagh said the meeting, which was held at Allawi's residence in central Baghdad and lasted about 90 minutes, focused on "important issues concerning the future of Iraq and formation of government, as well as issues of concern to the Iraqi citizen".

Al-Iraqiyah List won 91 seats in the new parliament, the highest number of seats won by a single political entity.

The State of Law Coalition was second with 89 seats, but it joined the Iraqi National Alliance a few weeks ago, creating a new political entity called the National Coalition with a total of 160 seats.

The meeting, which was hoped to help break the deadlock in forming the next government, was attended by a number of Iraqi politicians from both sides.

"During the meeting, the two sides stressed the need to comply with the deadlines for the formation of government so the country does not face a constitutional crisis," al-Dabbagh said. "They also stressed the need to have a government representing all Iraqis across the spectrum and expressing Iraqis' will as shown by the democratic, free election."

Ali al-Musawi, media adviser to the prime minister, said the "meeting was serious in examining the problems that impede the formation of government".

He also said the State of Law Coalition wants to hold talks with al-Iraqiyah leaders to save time before constitutional deadlines.

Al-Iraqiyah leader Usama al-Nujaifi said the meeting was "friendly and important".

Al-Nujaifi expressed optimism that the two main coalitions can reach an agreement about forming the government in the coming days.

"The Iraqi leaders agreed on the importance of forming the Iraqi government under the constitutional umbrella. They also agreed on the need to hold more intensive meetings between the two sides in the next few days," he said.

"Everyone agreed on one thing: to form a national partnership government that will contribute to the building of Iraq's future," said Abdul Hadi al-Hassani, a member of the State of Law Coalition.

"We want to have a real partnership government in which all components of Iraqi society contribute -- one that includes a joint project to resolve the negative aspects in politics, security, and foreign relations," al-Hassani said.

For many Iraqis, politicians and citizens alike, an agreement between the al-Maliki and Allawi is essential to help Iraq overcome terrorism.

"An agreement between leaders means a defeat of the forces of evil and terrorism. It also means economic and social prosperity in Iraq, which we will see soon," said Sheikh Khalid al-Attia, a member of the Iraqi National Alliance.

"Fighting the terrorists is not necessarily done through weapons, or by killing them and storming their dens; rather, everyone fights from their own places," said Baghdad resident Sondos Jameel, 33. "This meeting in particular disrupted the last wishes of Iraq's enemies who expected that the country would enter into a cycle of violence. It's a new nail in the coffin of terrorism that is walking to its own death."

For Khalid Aswad, 49, an agreement between Iraqi politicians and leaders means the "agreement of street and its unity".

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Reader Comments

خنساء2010-09-19 15:02:00

We call on the two major opponents, Allawi and Al-Maliki, who won the largest number of the voices of the Iraqi electors, to return to the table of the negotiations soon to form a national unity government, away from the political and sectarian sharing of power, to make the terrorists lose any chance of reviving again. At the same time, we wish that their alliance would not be at the expense of the democratic and federal Iraq, where the constitution is respected and rules everything. The Iraq that we want is the country where loyalty is to the homeland only!

عيب عليكم2010-09-11 14:00:00

Where is the government, O masters of Iraq? Shame on you! The people elected you; however, you haven't formed a government yet.

قاسم الشبلي2010-09-04 12:01:00

Some people may disagree with me and accuse me of being biased against Ayad Allawi, the man who they see believed in the free democratic work and the peaceful transfer of power, when he delivered the reins of rule to his predecessor, Ibrahim Al-Jafari. However, if we reviewed the history of the formation of all the dictatorships all over the world in general, and in Iraq in particular, we will discover that the strategy of Ayad Allawi to reach this objective is very similar to the strategy of these dictatorships.

2010-09-04 11:05:00

The Iraqi List strongly believes that the recent elections were for change, and that keeping the government with its officials, policies, approach, and partisan systems, will affect the progress and change in the country negatively. A lack of change will destroy the trust of the electors and the future of the country. The Iraqi List, which won the largest number of seats in the parliament, possesses the popular mandate to make the change and to save Iraq. The Iraqi List unanimously agrees that Dr. Ayad Allawi, the president of the list, is the most efficient candidate for leading the coming government. The Iraqi list is adhering to its constitutional right to make the change that serves this country and to form a national partnership with the other political blocs. Any project to keep the situation as it is means disappointment for the Iraqi people, and the Iraqi List will reject it. This also applies to the electors of the other lists, who are aspiring for change and seeing a new government that will implement convincing programs to end the suffering and the mistakes of the past years.

زهرة الزمان2010-08-27 20:05:00

The Iraqi people have waited enough and showed much patience with those politicians, who entered the parliament after the elections of last March. Now, they are waiting for the announcement of the formation of the government to handle the thorny and unsettled issues, and to resume the reconstruction process that has stopped due to the delay in the formation of the government, especially that it has now been more than five months since the elections. Hence, we call on all the Iraqi politicians to work on accelerating the formation of a strong national unity government that represents all the components of the Iraqi society, free from the sectarianism that harmed Iraq and its people. Those politicians have to remember the sacrifices of the Iraqis, who challenged terrorism and its attempts to abort the political process in Iraq by destroying the electoral process. Despite all these challenges, the brave Iraqis went to the ballot boxes and performed their duty. Now, it is the turn of the new Iraqi government and the new parliament to form the new government immediately and to reciprocate the sacrifices of the Iraqi people, who deserve more than this. The Iraqi leaders have to overlook the narrow partisan, personal and sectarian disagreements and interests for the sake of the supreme interests of Iraq, and to be up to the responsibility that was assigned to them by the Iraqis who elected them. I think that Iraq today is in urgent need to form its new government as soon as possible, to save it from the bad circumstances and conditions that are experienced by Iraq and its people, due to the administrative and financial corruption of the former weak governments, which only raised bright slogans without making any actual efforts to serve the Iraqi people.

غازي عيسى المالكي2010-08-15 04:03:00

What the Iraqi politicians are doing is a mockery. As a matter of fact, it is a violation of the law and the Constitution. Iraqi politicians, mainly those who succeeded in the elections, have proven their great failure. What they are doing is the biggest proof of their failure and that they are not qualified to lead Iraq in the next stage, because they were not able to lead the country in the right direction. What they are doing reflects a bad image, has a bad impact on the Iraqi people and contributes to their losing confidence in the politicians. Every time the politicians agree to have a Parliamentary meeting, the people expect them to announce the formation of the government. Then the meeting amounts to nothing, as the politicians do not reach an agreement. Frankly speaking, I think that this issue still persists, as the last meeting was adjourned indefinitely. This is what causes the loss of Iraq and violates the constitution, in addition to the security crisis that Iraq is going through. Indeed, the current government is merely a caretaking administration. This can only mean one thing and makes us doubt the sincerity of their loyalty to Iraq. They either pledge allegiance to other countries, which impose their conditions on them; or they want to serve their own interests. I think that the government will be formed once all these failed politicians are expelled through the demonstrations of people against them, because they never think about the interest of the people, thus leading Iraq to an uncertain future.

2010-08-12 03:04:00

The most important thing is that Al-Maliki should never return to the government.

Karim2010-08-08 11:04:00

We hope the power will be handed over peacefully, for the benefit of the patient Iraqi people. We call on them to respect the choice and the will of the Iraqis, who chose the Iraqi National List, led by the hero Ayad Allawi, to lead Iraq. The Iraqis have chosen to get rid of the sectarian, pro-Iranian terrorist regime that destroyed everything in Iraq during these miserable years.

2010-08-07 02:04:00

The Iraqi people are not ready for democracy; they need a strong and fair authority.

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