http://english.people.com.cn/200604/17/eng20060417_258922.htmlShi'ite Alliance proposes new PM
BAGHDAD: A scheduled session of Iraq's parliament for today was postponed by the acting speaker yesterday, further delaying the formation of a government already held up by four months of wrangling by political groups.
Adnan Pachachi made the decision after Iraq's Shi'ite Alliance proposed a new nominee for prime minister but said it opposed the main Sunni Arab grouping's candidate for parliamentary speaker, raising a possible new crisis.
After four months of resisting Kurdish and Sunni opposition to Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari as its nominee for the top government job, the Alliance put forward Dawa party leader Ali al-Adeeb, officials in the Shi'ite bloc said.
Although the Alliance has not officially withdrawn Jaafari's name, the premiership move could end the months of political paralysis that Washington has blamed for fuelling increased sectarian violence betweeen Sunnis and the majority Shi'ites.