Iraqi assembly makes progress, elects speaker

BAGHDAD - Iraqi politicians elected a Sunni Arab to be the speaker of parliament Sunday, ending a political impasse and taking a decisive step toward forming a government nine weeks after historic elections.

In an open ballot, the members of the 275-seat National Assembly voted overwhelmingly to elect Hajem al-Hassani, the current industry minister, as speaker. Hassani, a religious Sunni, is an ally of Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

"We passed the first hurdle," Hassani told reporters after his election. "The Iraqi people have proven that they can overcome the political crisis that has plagued the country for the last two months."

Shi'ite politician Hussain Shahristani and Kurdish lawmaker Arif Tayfor were elected deputy speakers. The Shi'ites and Kurds, who came first and second in the Jan. 30 election, had agreed between them that a member of the once-dominant Sunni Arab minority should be speaker.

The vote took place hours after insurgents mounted a brazen attack on Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad, battling US forces for an hour in an assault that underscored Iraq's profound security risks. Forty-four US troops were wounded.

ARGUMENT OVER POSTS

The process of forming a government has been drawn out by sharp differences between the Islamist-led Shi'ite alliance and the more secular Kurds over who should get which cabinet posts.

Parliament's last meeting on March 29 descended into chaos after politicians berated their leaders for not reaching decisions more quickly. Live coverage of the event was cut.

The naming of a speaker is one step toward ending Iraq's political deadlock, but the parliament was not expected to go much further Sunday. Top Kurdish negotiator Barham Salih said it was unlikely to name a president and two deputies, a more important landmark in the government's formation.

That decision, and the naming of a prime minister, are expected at the next parliamentary session Wednesday, Shahristani told reporters.

The president is expected to be Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, and one of the vice presidents will be Adel Abdul Mahdi, a Shi'ite. The Sunnis need more time to decide who their candidate for the other vice-president position will be.

The Shi'ite Ibrahim Jaafari will be prime minister.

Iraqi officials have raised concerns that the longer it takes to form a government, the more it will fuel the insurgency by making elected authorities appear weak and indecisive.

There is also anger among ordinary Iraqis, more than eight million of whom braved the threat of violence to vote in January only to see politics descend into squabbling.

Most of the top cabinet posts have already been worked out but the process has involved intense bargaining and brinkmanship. One position still in dispute is the oil ministry, which both the Shi'ites and the Kurds are determined to secure.

NEW CONSTITUTION

The standoff threatens to derail the timetable for drawing up a new constitution, the next major stepping stone, which is due to be drafted by mid-August.

It is also incurring the wrath of Sunni Arabs, who are demanding a role in the government despite their poor showing at the polls -- only 17 of the 275 parliamentarians are Sunni Arabs, the result of most Sunnis boycotting the vote.

Shi'ite and Kurdish leaders fear that if the Sunnis are not brought into the process, it will exacerbate the Sunni-led insurgency that has been raging for more than two years.

There had been indications in recent days that the insurgency may be softening, with the number of daily attacks down by around 20 per cent since the election.

But Saturday's assault on Abu Ghraib prison, in which between 40 and 60 insurgents attacked with suicide car bombs, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and small arms fire, was a reminder of the scale of attacks militants can still launch.

As well as the 44 US troops wounded, 12 detainees were hurt, one of them seriously. US troops said only one insurgent was confirmed to have been killed in the fighting, which lasted around an hour and involved US helicopters and tanks.

It was believed to be the largest and most determined attack on Abu Ghraib, a prison where more than 3,000 suspected insurgents are held in US detention and which was at the center of a prisoner abuse scandal last year.

There was also violence elsewhere. In the western town of Haditha, a US Marine was killed in a blast during combat operations Saturday, the military said.

The death raises to at least 1,163 the number of US troops killed in action in Iraq since the war began.

- REUTERS