Al-Jaafari Ally New Nominee for Iraq PM - Jawad al-Maliki

[kpete]

Al-Jaafari Ally New Nominee for Iraq PM By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer
13 minutes ago
?
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Shiite politicians agreed Friday to nominate Jawad al-Maliki as prime minister, replacing the incumbent in a bid to clear the way for a long-delayed new government, two Shiite officials said.


Al-Maliki is a top ally of outgoing Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, whose nomination had sparked sharp opposition from Sunni Arab and Kurdish leaders and caused a deadlock lasting months.

Leaders of the seven parties that make up the Shiite alliance agreed on al-Maliki's nomination "by consensus" in a meeting Friday evening, said Jalal Eddin al-Sagheer, a member of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the largest party in the alliance. A second Shiite politician confirmed the decision, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official announcement has not been named.

The Shiite nominee is to be presented to a session of parliament on Saturday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060421/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[Jack Rabbit]

1. I can't find out much about Maliki

He's a member of Dawa, the same party as Jafaari.

He has been frequently mentioned as an alternative to Jafaari, so this should be no surprise to those paying attention to politics in the Iraq national assembly.

I have seen a set of quotes, most of which are platitudes or short statements of information and opinion, but little of substance. One quote that bothers me is:

When we penned the changes, we did not give consideration to the opposition by these groups. These people are not going to succeed in bringing down the constitution.

That is not a good way to reach a broad consensus needed to form a new state in a pluralistic society.

[Jack Rabbit]

2. The New York Times: Shiites Agree on Pick for Prime Minister

From The New York Times
Dated Friday April 21

Shiites Agree on Pick for Prime Minister
By Richard Oppel

BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 21 — Shiite leaders selected Jawad al-Maliki, a hard-line and outspoken Shiite leader, to replace the outgoing prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari. The move could resolve a two-month-long political deadlock that has worsened Iraq's precarious security situation and contributed to an increase of sectarian killings across the nation.

Officials with rival political blocs said tonight that despite earlier misgivings about Mr. Maliki they intended to support him when the Iraqi Parliament convenes on Saturday afternoon.

Once the Parliament agrees on other leaders, Mr. Maliki will be asked to form a new government and cabinet. But there were conflicting reports about whether the major political groups had agreed on who would fill the senior posts that must be decided before a cabinet is formed, particularly speaker of the national assembly.

Just one day ago, Sunni Arab leaders and Kurdish officials had expressed a preference for the other Shiite politician who had been considered a strong candidate for nomination as prime minister, Ali al-Adeeb. They had described Mr. Maliki as too sectarian and inflexible to win wide support among other political groups.

Read more.

This box may be revealing:



"Abrasive and infexible." Not good, not good.