Saudi Arabia denies it expressed relief over Maliki nomination

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: An official source denied what had been echoed by some Iraqi media that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expressed satisfaction with the nomination of outgoing Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a second term. “Emanating from its principle of not interfering in the internal affairs of any country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has never expressed its opinion on this issue and what has been circulated is a lie and slander,” the source said in statements to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). “Choosing a prime minister of Iraq is an affair of the Iraqi people”, the source concluded, wishing Iraq stability and security. The National Alliance (NA), which has 159 out of a total 325 parliamentary seats, had announced on Friday that it picked Nouri al-Maliki as a candidate for the prime minister post, ending nearly five months of haggling since it was set up and seven months after the March 7 legislative elections, regarding the mechanisms to choose a prime minister in light of a conflict between the bloc’s key members Dawlat al-Qanoon, or State of Law, (89 seats) and the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), which obtained 70 seats. AmR (S) 2