Al-Iraqiya Coalition nominates two c – idates for Defense – Culture Ministers posts:

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Al-Iraqiya Coalition, led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, has nominated Falah al-Naqib for the Defense Minister’s post and Maisoun al-Damalougi for the Culture Minister‘s post in the new Iraqi cabinet, scheduled to be announced by Prime Minister Designate, Nouri al-Maliki on Monday, al-Iraqiya’s Legislature, Intisar Allawi, said on Sunday. “Al-Iraqiya Coalition has nominated Falah al-Naqib for the Defense Minister’s post and Maisoun al-Damalougi for the Culture Minister‘s post, along with Hussein al-Shaalan for the State Minister and Mohammed Allawi for the Communications Ministers posts,” Intisar Allawi told IraqiNews.com news agency, but said that “nobody had been nominated for the deputy prime minister‘s post.” The Legislature for the National Alliance, Mohammed Seihud, had told IraqiNews.com earlier that three personalities have been nominated for the deputy prime minister‘s post, one from the National Alliance, the other from the Kurdistan Coalition and the third from al-Iraqiya Coalition. He said that each of the three Coalitions had nominated three candidates, pointing out that the State of Law Coalition, led by PM Maliki, had nominated Hussein al-Shahristani, whilst Al-Daawa Party – Iraq Organization, had nominated Khudhier al-Khuzae for the post, but he did not name the Sadrist Trend’s candidate for the new deputy prime minister‘s post. Different Iraqi political blocs had been preocupied over the past few days to nominate their candidates for the leading posts in the new government, including the posts of vice-president, deputy prime-minister and differerent cabinet posts, among a sharp competition to gain some of the leading ministries and high positions in the government. The semi-official al-Iraqiya TV Satellite Station had quoted the State Minister for Parliament Affairs, Safauddin al-Safi, as saying on Saturday that Maliki had presented an official demand to the Parliament to form his cabinet on Monday. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on 25/11/2010, had officially assigned the candidate of the National Alliance, Nouri al-Maliki, to form the new government, provided he would complete his mission within 30 days from the date. SKH 1