Al-Hosni is the speaker of the Iraqi parliament

The representatives of the Iraqi Interim National Assembly ( the parliament) has chosen in their third session held on Sunday the candidate of the Arab Sunni, the minister of tourism in the Interim government, Hajem al-Hosni, as a speaker for the parliament, ending thereby a political dispute over who will occupy this post and paving the way towards forming a new Iraqi government.

Al-Hosni who represents the list of "Iraqiyoun" ( Iraqis) which is led by the interim Iraqi president Ghazi Elyawer received 215 votes of the total 275 votes. The Shiite member Hussein al-Shahrastani was elected as a deputy speaker after he got 157 votes and the Kurdish Aref Tifor as a second deputy after getting 96 votes.

Immediately after announcing his winning the presidency of the parliament, al-Hosni delivered a speech in which he thanked the parliamentarians over giving him this honor. He also thanked the Iraqis who took part in the recent elections.

Al-Hosni described the Iraqi people as vivid and having national consciousness despite difficulties.

Earlier, the Shiite list refused the nomination of the Sunni parliamentarian Mashaan al-Jabbouri because of his relation to the former Iraqi regime. Al-Jabbouri announced earlier that he had the support of the majority Arab Sunni, however, several Sunni figures denied support for him.

On Saturday morning al-Jabbouri announced he is attached to nominating himself, but he later said that he is ready to accept a middle solution in which he withdraws his nomination in return for the Shiite to withdraw their candidate for the presidency of the parliament Fawaz al-Jarba.