Iraqi parliament to have it first meeting

Sources at the Iraqi United Coalition said that the Iraqi vice president Adel Abd al-Mahdi signed the Presidential Decree calling on the National Assembly (parliament) to convene next Sunday after he had earlier refused to sign it.

By signing this decree, al-Mahdi allows the convening of the parliament for the first time after the elections which took place in December 2005.

This was expressed by the leader of the Shiite al-Fadila leader and member of the coalition Nadim al-Jabiri. This development shows the great difference inside the coalition over this issue.

A Shiite source disclosed that Abd al-Mahdi's approval came after a meeting held between the American ambassador in Iraq, Zalmai Khalil Zada, and chairman of the coalition bloc, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, on Tuesday. Abd Al-Hadi is loyal to Hakim whom he succeeds in leading the Higher Council Of The Islamic Revolution. He is also a candidate of the council to occupy the post of the next government.

Meantime, prime minister of the expired government Ibrahim al-Jaafari stressed cling to his nomination by the coalition bloc in the face of pressure mounted by certain political blocs, demanding him to give up this nomination. In al-Basra, a Shiite stronghold to the south of Iraq hundreds demonstrated on Wednesday demanding the nomination of al-Jaafaari for the post. The Kurds and Sunnis are opposed to Jaafari.