Al-Iraqiya calls on political blocs to settle cabinet posts issue

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A legislature in al-Iraqiya Coalition, led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, has said on Tueday that his Coalition had called on all political blocs to settle the issue of their candidates for the new cabinet posts. “Al-Iraqiya had held a meeting on Monday evening at the residence of Coalition Member,Rafe’i al-Issawi, to discuss the recent developments,” Jamal al-Battikh told IraqiNews.com news agency, adding that “the conferees had addressed a letter to the leading four political blocs, calling them to sit together to settle the issue of the cabinet posts and the issue of the Parliament’s points.” The said political blocs have been discussing the selection of their candidates for the forthcoming leading posts in the Iraqi government, including the posts of vice-presidents, the prime minister and different ministries, amid a clear competition among them to gain some cabinet posts and other leading positions, whilst such posts would be distributed according to the “parliamentary points” of each bloc. The Parliament re-elected President Talabani for a 2nd presidency session, who on his part, had assigned Nouri al-Maliki for a 2nd term as prime minister. SKH/SR 1