Iraqi PM fails to name new officials
(AP)
Updated: 2006-05-28 20:17
During what appeared to be a stormy closed-door session, deputies argued over
a demand by the Shiite and Kurdish coalitions to curb the power of Sunni Arab
parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani. They demand that he be obliged by
parliamentary regulation to consult his Shiite and Kurdish deputy speakers
before taking any decisions.
The demand, staunchly opposed by Sunnis, was an indication the struggle for
more power and authorities among Iraq's factions. The speaker has little
authority.
"We have not reached agreement," said Salim Abdullah, a deputy with the main
Sunni Arab Accordance Front said before the start of a second closed-door
session.
Iraq's Foreign Ministry said Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki
delivered a list of charges against Saddam Hussein. It provided no details,
including when the charges would be submitted, but Iran has in the past said it
wants to put Saddam on trial for crimes from the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war,
including the alleged use of chemical weapons.
The trial of Saddam and seven co-defendants was to resume Monday on charges
they ordered the killing of 148 Shiites for allegedly taking part in a botched
1982 assassination attempt against the former Iraqi leader.
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