National Council for Strategic Studies expected to be abolished, MP says.

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com – The National Council for Strategic Policies (ICSP) is expected to be abolished after al-Iraqiya Coalition’s concession, Legislature from the National Coalition, Batoul Farouq said on Saturday.   “The ICSP had been proposed by al-Iraqiya Coalition, but when it had announced its concession, this means that things would go into this direction, and I don’t think the National Coalition would form the ICSP and assign its leadership to another bloc,” Farouq told IraqiNews.com news agency.   Differences towards the draft-law on the ICSP, that was supposed to be presided over the al-Iraqiya Leader, Iyad Allawi, who demanded granting it broad authorities, including executive ones, had been rejected by the National Coalition, led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who considered such authorities as having stood counter to the authorities of the Council of Ministers.   The Spokeswoman for al-Iraqiya Coalition, Maysoun al-Damaloujy, had told IraqiNews.com in a previous date that Iyad Allawi had decided to cancel his leadership for the said Council, charging that the tactic of “postponement” did not cope with his personality and with a bloc, of the size of his Coalition.   As regards to the issue of the security cabinet posts, Farouq said: “This issue is still marching in its place and had not been settled till now.”   “I think that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki would present the names of the candidates for those posts to the Parliament soon, but not during Sunday’s session,” she said.   Differences have taken place over the past 3 months about the candidates for the security cabinet posts, that are still vacant, especially the posts of Interior and Defense Ministers, with the first being the share of the National Coalition and the second, being the share of al-Iraqiya Coalition, with each side rejecting the candidate of the other.   FT / SKH   720