Maliki pledges to form govt. before deadline

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Prime Minister-Designate Nouri al-Maliki pledged Saturday that the new government would be formed before the 30-day deadline expires, urging “friends of Iraq” to stand by him and help him bring Iraq out of Chapter VII of the UN Charter, according to a release by his office. “Maliki, during a meeting today (Dec. 4) with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and his accompanying delegation to discuss bilateral relations, said the new government would be formed before the expiry of the 30-day deadline,” read the release as received by IraqiNews.com news agency. The Iraqi premier-designate urged Westerwelle to have German backing to Iraq and help it exit Chapter VII of the UN Charter, inviting German companies to invest in Iraq. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani had officially assigned Maliki to form a new government on November 25 provided that Maliki would offer it to parliament within 30 days in accordance with the Iraqi constitution. Westerwelle, for his part, expressed Germany’s keenness on furthering relations with Iraq and broaden the scope of cooperation between the two countries. AmR (P) 1