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Iraq assembly talks flour amid political stalemate
Iraq's parliament was expected to hear the names of nominations for a new government on Monday but instead impassioned speeches on flour, quoting the Koran correctly and forming new committees dominated the chamber. Prime minister-designate Ibrahim al-Jaafari was meant to present parliament with his choices for a new cabinet, raising hopes that Iraq would move closer to a government three months after elections. But when parliamentarians met on Monday, discussions focused instead on contaminated flour imports, misquoting the Koran and calls to form new committees as Iraq appeared to sink deeper into a political and security vacuum. "This is bad flour with a high metal content that is being used for human consumption in Iraq. Some birds who ate it died hours later," said an assembly member. Beset by bombings, shootings, sectarian tension and under pressure to choose a new government, Iraq's politicians have yet to deliver on promises of improving security after the Jan. 30 elections. After the parliament session broke up, a leading politician in the Shi'ite alliance that won the elections said nominations for a government were expected on Monday but more details had to be worked out in a meeting. When a cabinet is finally presented, it must be approved by the assembly. Violence that has returned with a vengeance after a period of relative calm has fuelled sectarian tensions as killings between Shi'ites and Sunnis increase. Politicians seemed preoccupied with delivering long speeches, not presenting a security plan, prompting one MP to complain that his colleagues should stop bogging down the 275- seat assembly. "This has become a forum for people to just take up the same topics from the day before and repeat the same thing over 10 and 12 times. This is a waste of our time," he said. FRUSTRATIONS Elections ushered in a new political era after decades of dictatorship under Saddam Hussein, when parliament was little more than a rubber-stamping operation. Shi'ites and Kurds are the new powers while Sunni Arabs have been marginalised in a complex political equation that has left politicians with the daunting task of forming a balanced government that will keep sectarian troubles in check. Parliament, located in Baghdad's fortified green zone, is portrayed as a symbol of Iraq's march to democracy. But frustrations dominated Monday's session, reflecting the mood among Iraqi voters, who expected their leaders to quickly form a cabinet after millions braved violence to cast ballots. Parliamentary speaker Hajem al-Hassani said emotional discussions of topics such as terrorism should be limited so other issues could also be addressed. "But if the head of the assembly does this he will be accused of being a terrorist," he said. "We cannot leave the Iraqi people just waiting." Talk soon returned to flour, with a veiled member of the chamber standing up to take on the issue for a second time. The speaker suggested it could be tackled better if the interior, defence and trade ministers were involved in talks. Then another MP said a committee on human rights should be formed. Amid the heated, meandering discussions, one cleric expressed his own concerns. "When some of the brothers quote verses from the Koran, they make grave (grammar) mistakes," he said, irritated that verses from the Koran were read incorrectly in the session. |
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