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Iraq's Maliki Firm on PM Post

   VOA News 29 May 2010
   Iraq's  Prime  Minister  Nouri  al-Maliki  speaks  to  reporters after
   meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the Shiite holy city of
   Najaf, Iraq, 29 May 2010

Photo: AP

   Iraq's  Prime  Minister  Nouri  al-Maliki  speaks  to reporters in the
   Shiite holy city of Najaf, 29 May 2010

   Iraq's prime minister says his party will not compromise on its choice
   of who will run the next government.
   Prime  Minister  Nouri  al-Maliki  said  Saturday  his  State  of  Law
   coalition  insists  that  he  should lead the government and his party
   would  not  agree  to  another  head  in  negotiations  to  form a new
   government.
   Iraq held parliamentary elections nearly three months ago, but none of
   the political groups won enough seats for a clear majority.
   Mr.  Maliki's  coalition  came  in  second with 89 seats, while former
   Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's bloc won 91. Â
   One  hundred  sixty-three  seats  are  needed  for  a majority, so Mr.
   Maliki's  group  has  reached  out  to third-largest seat winner Iraqi
   National Alliance, which includes anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada
   al-Sadr. Â
   Sadr  supporters  in  the  group  dislike Mr. Maliki because the prime
   minister's government forces crushed their militia in 2008.
   On Thursday, The Arab League warned Iraqi politicians that they needed
   to form a new government soon.
   There  are  concerns  about  the  stability of Iraq because the United
   States  is  scheduled  to  withdraw all forces from Iraq by the end of
   next year.
   U.S.  Vice President Joe Biden has said the U.S. plans to reduce troop
   levels in Iraq to 50,000 in the coming months, even if officials there
   fail to form a new government.

   Â

   Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

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