Iraqiya meets to decide on portfolios

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Al-Iraqiya bloc would hold an “important” meeting later on Saturday to settle on the cabinet portfolios it plans to demand in the new Iraqi government, a bloc member and legislator said on Saturday. “A consultative meeting is scheduled to be held today (Saturday) between al-Iraqiya and the National Dialogue bloc to take a final decision to agree on the ministerial posts it plans to select,” Kadhem al-Shimari told IraqiNews.com news agency. Shimari said that al-Iraqiya will get six to seven ministries that will be announced today, concentrating on the service ministries, such as municipalities, justice and agriculture”. He pointed out that his bloc would present broad services for citizens if it succeeds to get the relevant ministries. The Iraqi parliament, after eight months of continuous arguments and discussions that followed the nationwide elections on March 7, elected on 11/11/2010 a candidate of al-Iraqiya bloc, Osama al-Nejeifi as parliament speaker, the leader in the Sadrisit Movement, Qusay al-Suheil as his first deputy, and Member of the Kurdistan Alliance Aref Tayfur as his second Deputy. The parliament also elected President Jalal Talabani for a second term in office. Talabani later assigned Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to form the new government. Maliki is expected to hold consultations with different political leaders after Eid al-Adha holiday, scheduled to end today (Saturday), to distribute the cabinet posts. SKH (S)/AmR 1