Monday, June 25, 2007

 

Sunni Arab blocs boycott parliament as Sunni speaker is not reinstated

Politics
(AP) - Parliament's two Sunni Arab blocs boycotted the 275-seat house on Sunday because the Sunni speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, was not reinstated as they demanded. Muhannad al-Issawi, a spokesman for Adnan al-Dulaimi, leader of the Iraqi Accordance Front, had said that the 44-seat bloc decided in a meeting Saturday to demand that al-Mashhadani preside over Sunday's session.
"If the demand is rejected by other blocs, then the Accordance Front will suspend its participation in parliament," al-Issawi had told The Associated Press. The Accordance bloc was joined in the boycott by the National Dialogue Front.
The Shiite-dominated legislature wants al-Mashhadani to step down and has named his Shiite deputy, Khaled al-Attiya, as a temporary replacement. Many legislators viewed al-Mashhandani's erratic behavior as unbecoming and a hindrance to parliament's ability to pass key benchmark legislation as demanded by Washington.

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