Reservations on Saudi Initiative too early, al-Iraqiya won’t submit new Iraqi govt. formation – Allawi

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq‘s former Prime Minister and Leader of al-Iraqiya bloc, Iyad Allawi, has said on Wednesday that the “reservations” by some Iraqi political parties against the Saudi King’s initiative, calling on the Iraqi political blocs to meet in Riyadh to settle the issue of forming the new government, “are too early,” adding that his bloc “won’t submit its right to form the new government.” “The ‘reservations’ by some Iraqi political parties on the Saudi Monarch’s initiative are too early. They should have studied the initiative carefully,” Iyad Allawi told the Saudi Middle East Newspaper on Wednesday, adding that, “most of us didn’t follow the valuable initiative by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz, that included important points, expressing a genuine keenness for Iraq, and no wish to interfere in its affairs for the interest of any party.” Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz had called on all Iraqi political parties to meet in Riyadh after the holy Muslim Haj (Pilgrimage), under the auspices of the Arab League, to discuss the “issue of forming the Iraqi government,” at a time when differences continued among the leading blocs that won Iraq‘s March 7th nationwide elections, following the close results scored by the winning blocs, competing to score the prime minister‘s post and the formation of the nex government, especially between the two largest blocs, al-Iraqiya, led by Allawi, and the State of Law, led by outgoing Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki. “It is not logical that some parties have accepted the calls of Iran, whilst the calls by the Arab League and some Arab states that strongly stood beside Iraq, whilst the political process was ‘confiscated’ by Iran,” Allawi said. Allawi pointed out that “the Saudi initiative was aimed at opening a dialogue and to find a settlement under the auspices of the Arab League, and under the hospitality of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Saudi people, such dialogue that is expected to achieve positive results to crown the current dialogue in Iraq, called by brother (Kurdistan President) Massoud Barzani.” As regards to both initiatives of the Saudi Monarch and the Kurdistan President, Allawi said, “both initiatives stem from one important cause, based on the principle of dialogue. Eight months have already passed since the elections and non government had been formed, in addition to the fact that the situation in Iraq began to become more complicated, whilst the interferences of regional and world states began to increase, along with the security situation that reached the level of danger.” Speaking about his bloc’s position towards the candidates for presidency and the prime minister, Allawi said, “If the prime minister or the president come from the Kurd brethren, we have no problem, because we are protected by the constitution..And being equal partners in one homeland, there is no problem too, as it’s the right of brethren Kurds to nominate or demand any post they see suitable for them..But, the important thing is that we have to achieve a real partnership and keep away from sensitivity of the presence of a Kurd, a Christian, a Sunni, a Shiite or a Turkoman in any position.” “The Parliament Speaker’s post does not cope with the right of al-Iraqiya, as we either agree with the contents of the constitution, that clearly point out that the bloc that wins the elections will be the party that forms the government. Considering that the bloc that they call the National Alliance was not officially formed, it was only formed according to media reports,” he said. With regards to al-Iraqiya’s submission for its right to form the new government, Allawi said, “We won’t submit our right, and how could we do that? Al-Iraqiya must occupy its role in leading the Iraqi State, and he who demands a con