NCRI – As US combat mission in Iraq comes to an official end, officials of the Iraqi coalition that won a majority vote in the March parliamentary elections say they are not prepared to back away from their legitimate legal right of forming the next government.
A senior official of the al-Iraqiya list, Nasif Jasem, said on Monday that the coalition firmly rejects any dictated terms for the formation of a government such as previous US attempts and a power share arrangement. Jasem added that if that proves to be the case, “then will abandon the political process,” according to Iraq’s Asawat news agency.
Jasem added, “Al-Iraqiya informed visiting American delegations about its objection to any plans that deprive the coalition of its legitimate right. The American side indicated that it understands the views of al-Iraqiya.”
According to Aljazeera, another senior al-Iraqiya official, Salman al-Jamili, said on Monday, “If our constitutional right as the winning party is overlooked, then we will not participate in the next government.”
According to al-Soumariya TV, an al-Iraqiya spokesman, Heydar Molla, also declared, “Al-Iraqiya will not take part in a government led by [incumbent prime minister] Nouri al-Maliki.”
In an interview with al-Soumariya, the spokesman added, “In an al-Iraqiya session that took place three days ago, the imperative of holding a firm and united stance regarding the list’s constitutional right as the winning coalition was discussed.”
On Monday, Dr. Ayad Allawi, the leader of al-Iraqiya, ended official talks with the president of Iraq’s Kurdish region, Massoud Barzani, in the city of Erbil. In an interview with Baghdad TV on Monday, he said, “The Kurdish side’s position is clear and they have repeatedly said that al-Iraqiya has a legal right to form the next government.”
