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Iraq

Shiite Forces in Iraq Hold Sway over Naming of Next Prime Minister

2021-09-05

[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] Influential holy man Moqtada Tater al-Sadr
Moqtada <q>Tater</q> al-Sadr

...hereditary Iraqi holy man and leader of a political movement in Iraq. He had his hereditary rival, al-Khoei, assassinated only a few hours after the holy rival's appearance out of exile in 2003. Formerly an Iranian catspaw, lately he's gagged over some of their more outlandish antics, then went back to catspawry...
’s announcement that he was reneging on his decision to sit out the October elections has reshuffled the political cards in Iraq.

Some sides have benefited from his return, while other have been harmed by it. Those who had initially rejoiced at Sadr’s absence from the October 10 elections, now find themselves at a loss in how to deal with his return.

Ultimately, the parties that had declared their withdrawal from the race on the heels of Sadr’s withdrawal have emerged as the greatest losers. They are the Iraqi National Accord, of former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, and the Iraqi Communist Party.

With Sadr’s return, the Iraqi political scene has become embroiled in a cutthroat battle ahead of the polls with all rivals vying for the greatest seats in parliament. Regardless of who emerges on top, all sides will be eying the ultimate prize: naming the prime minister, who is always a Shiite, the parliament speaker, who is always a Sunni, and president, who is always Kurdish.

Sources told Asharq al-Awsat that behind-the-scenes efforts are focusing on the electoral mechanisms and means to limit electoral fraud. They are also getting ahead of themselves by focusing on the three presidencies.

The Shiite forces, for example, in spite of their deep differences, especially with Sadr’s return to the race, are preoccupied with setting the characteristics of the next premier. A seven-part committee is tasked with the mission.

The Shiites are seeking to agree on the name of the prime minister even before the elections are held.

With Sadr’s return, his supporters will want him to hold sway over naming the PM that will ultimately give the holy man major power over the political scene in the country.

Sadr’s return has taken all discussions on the name of the three presidents, especially the premier, back to square one. The holy man wants the PM to be a loyalist of his Sadrist movement.

Question remarks remain over current Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who had previously said that he was not seeking a second term. This may have changed with the return of Sadr, who backs Kadhimi. The premier also enjoys the support of Masoud Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party.

Other potential candidates include national security advisor and former interior minister Qassem Araji and former PM-designates Adnan al-Zurfi and Mohammed Shaya al-Sudani. Members of the State of Law coalition have suggested the nomination of its leader, former PM Nouri al-Maliki.

Heated discussions are also ongoing among Sunni and Kurdish circles over the name of the president and parliament speaker. Their choice will have to pass the approval of the Shiite parties. The president is nominated by the two main Kurdish parties, but he needs to be approved by the main Shiite parties. The same goes to the parliament speaker.

As it stands, deep divisions are plaguing the Kurdish and Sunni parties. If the camps remain divided even after the elections, the Shiites will emerge as the most powerful players on the political scene.

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Iraq

Ayad Allawi calls for pursuing killers of protesters

2020-02-28

[THEBAGHDADPOST] Head of al-Wataniya (National) Coalition Ayad Allawi affirmed his determination to pursue the demonstrators' killers and bring them to justice.

Allawi earlier censured those who seek assuming posts regardless protesters’ demands, describing it as dishonorable.

In a Tweet, Allawi said the government should, during the next period, be keen on holding the murderer of protesters accountable and on holding early elections.

Allawi condemned ignoring protesters’ demands and the oppression against protesters for five months.

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Iraq

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi called for a ‘public trial’ for murderers and perpetrators of crimes against peaceful demonstrators

2020-02-09

[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi called for a “public trial” for murderers and perpetrators of crimes against peaceful demonstrators.#BaghdadPost #IraqProtests #saveIraqipeople #FreeIraq https://t.co/uvC5WmZdOJ
— The Baghdad Post (@BaghdadPostPlus) February 9, 2020

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Iraq

Allawi Agrees to Join Maliki Government in Iraq

2010-12-21

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi says he will join Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's coalition government, as long as Mr. Maliki keeps his promise to fairly distribute power.

Criminy, Ayad, you could have had this done the first week. It wasn't hard.

Mr. Allawi said Sunday he has agreed to accept a job in the government as head of a newly created strategic policy council that will limit Mr. Maliki's authority on various issues. But he warned that his support could end if there is any change to the current power-sharing agreement.

The announcement comes a day before Prime Minister Maliki is expected to name a new Cabinet, potentially ending a nine-month political stalemate after inconclusive elections.

Late last month, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani asked Mr. Maliki to form a new government as part of a deal to end the political stalemate, and gave him 30 days to choose a new Cabinet. Mr. Talabani's request came after political leaders reached a power-sharing deal that put Mr. Maliki, a Shiite, on track for a second term.

In Iraq's March 7 elections, the Iraqiya coalition of former Prime Minister Allawi won two more seats than Mr. Maliki's State of Law coalition. But neither won enough for a parliamentary majority, triggering the political impasse.

Iraqiya's inability to find political partners allowed Mr. Maliki to gain momentum and support. He partnered with anti-American Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in an Iranian-backed coalition.

If Ayad had made a deal quickly he could have kept Maliki and Mookie apart. As it is Mookie's now inside the tent bringing Iran's influence that much closer.

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Iraq

Ayad Allawi urges interim government in Iraq

2010-04-29

The front-runner in Iraq's recent parliamentary elections on Wednesday called for the formation of an impartial, internationally supervised caretaker government. The interim government will prevent the country from sliding into violence and counter what he says are efforts to change the vote results.
I think this means that Allawi is losing and knows it ...
Former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite whose cross-sectarian coalition narrowly won the most votes in the March 7 polling, said that disqualifying candidates and holding recounts is an attempt to steal the will of the Iraqi people.'

The call comes after an Iraqi court charged with investigating election-related complaints disqualified one of his candidates over alleged ties to the former regime. Election officials confirmed that another nine winning candidates, including seven from Allawi's list and one from al-Maliki's, were being investigated. Hamdiya al-Hussaini of the election commission told The Associated Press that the court is expected to decide on the fate of the nine others by Monday.

Disqualifying Allawi's candidates would favor incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law bloc, which came in second-placed, losing out to Allawi's coalition by just two seats. If the seven Iraqiya candidates and their votes are thrown out, it could change the seat count in the new 325-member parliament and potentially hand al-Maliki's coalition the lead.

Certainly what is going on is a theft of the Iraqi will and democracy, jeopardizing the safety of the country,' Allawi told Iraq's al-Sharqiya channel. We will call for the forming of a new interim government.'

Allawi called on international organizations like the U.N., the Arab League, the EU and the Organization of Islamic Conference to help establish the impartial interim government.

But a U.N. officials in Baghdad dismissed the idea of the international community's closer involvement in Iraqi politics, saying those disputes can only be resolved by Iraqis themselves.

They don't even want the Americans talking about internal Iraqi politics, can you imagine if the rest of the international community became involved?' said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Rare sense from the UN ...

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Iraq

al-Qaeda Gunmen, Dressed As Iraqi Army, Slaughter 24 Sunni Iraqis

2010-04-03

Gunmen wearing Iraqi military uniforms raided homes in a Sunni village south of Baghdad, killing at least 24 people, including five women, in execution-style attacks, officials said Saturday. An army official said many of the victims were brutalized "beyond recognition."

At least seven people were found alive, bound with handcuffs, said Baghdad's security spokesman, Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi. In the hours after Friday night's shootings, Iraqi officials cordoned off the area to search for suspects and helicopters swarmed overhead.

"The area has many orchards and streams, so it is difficult to secure, but we are investigating," al-Moussawi told The Associated Press. He said the killings bear "an obvious al-Qaida hallmark."

Many of the dead were members of local Sahwa, or Awakening Councils -- one of several names for the Sunni fighters who changed the course of the war when they revolted against al-Qaida in Iraq and joined the Americans in late 2006 and 2007, officials said. The fighters also are known as Sons of Iraq.

A senior Iraqi army official who arrived at the scene Friday evening said the bodies were handcuffed and had been sprayed up and down with machine gun fire. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release details publicly.

He said some of the bodies were left "beyond recognition."

Mustafa Kamel, a Sahwa leader south of Baghdad, said the attack happened late Friday in a village in the Arab Jabour area, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) south of Baghdad. Arab Jabour is a collection of industrial zones, villages and palm and citrus groves in the Sunni belt around Baghdad's southern doorstep.

An official at Iraq's Interior Ministry confirmed the attack and said the victims were 20 men and five women and that the attackers were in military uniform.

He did not give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Al-Moussawi said 24 people were confirmed dead, although other officials put the toll at 25.

Many of the Sons of Iraq were former insurgents who later teamed up with the Americans against al-Qaida in Iraq. The move, known as the Awakening, was credited -- along with the surge of tens of thousands of U.S. troops -- in helping quell the violence.

But the question of what to do with these nearly 100,000 people in the long-term remains. The U.S. handed over control last year of the Awakening Councils to Iraq, which pays their roughly $300 monthly salaries.

The violence comes as Iraq's major political blocs scramble to get enough parliamentary support to form a government after results from the March 7 election gave no single group enough seats to govern alone. Former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's cross-sectarian bloc tapped into heavy Sunni support to come in just two seats ahead of incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's mainly Shiite list.

Many fear drawn-out political negotiations to form a government could spill over into violence and complicate American efforts to speed up troop withdrawals in the coming months.

Also Saturday, a roadside bomb exploded as a bus was passing, wounding seven passengers, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) south of Baghdad, said police spokesman Maj. Muthana Khalid.

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Iraq

Allawi's Visit to Saudi Arabia Aims to Return Iraq to Arab System- Sources

2010-02-23

A senior member of the Iraqiya List led by former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi informed Asharq Al-Awsat that Allawi's visit to Saudi Arabia was aimed at "returning Iraq to the Arab system." Ayad Allawi's visit to Saudi Arabia and his meeting with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz caused controversy in Iraq due to its timing, coming only a few days prior to the elections, opening the door to speculation over the possibility that the Iraqiya List is receiving material support from Saudi Arabia.

However Hassan al-Alawi, a senior member of the Iraqiya List who accompanied Ayad Allawi during his visit to Saudi Arabia denied that this visit had anything to do with the elections. In a telephone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat yesterday, al-Alawi said "if the intention [of this visit] was to obtain financing, it [the visit] would have taken place 6 months ago. It is not in the logic of the elections or the logic of accounting for a movement to be financed two weeks prior to the elections, there are regional countries that have financed their movements for two years, and built financing and assistance institutions and you will find they have more adverts and more election propaganda."

Al-Alawi also clarified that Allawi's visit to Saudi Arabia as the head of an Iraqiya List delegation was equivalent to "a message [to the Arab world with regards to the near future, and this has nothing to do with the issue of financing or support for the elections, and these are things that need months to prepare."

The senior member of the Iraqiya List also told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Iraqiya delegation fully understood the viewpoints that were presented to them with regards to the current reality in Iraq and the prospects for its future. He pointed out that the Iraqiya List "aims to obtain an Arab share in the situation in Iraq, and put a stop to any negative possibilities that may be generated as a result of the ambiguities that have appeared in Iraq in recent days, particularly as we approach the legislative elections."A senior member of the Iraqiya List led by former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi informed Asharq Al-Awsat that Allawi's visit to Saudi Arabia was aimed at "returning Iraq to the Arab system." Ayad Allawi's visit to Saudi Arabia and his meeting with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz caused controversy in Iraq due to its timing, coming only a few days prior to the elections, opening the door to speculation over the possibility that the Iraqiya List is receiving material support from Saudi Arabia.

However Hassan al-Alawi, a senior member of the Iraqiya List who accompanied Ayad Allawi during his visit to Saudi Arabia denied that this visit had anything to do with the elections. In a telephone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat yesterday, al-Alawi said "if the intention [of this visit] was to obtain financing, it [the visit] would have taken place 6 months ago. It is not in the logic of the elections or the logic of accounting for a movement to be financed two weeks prior to the elections, there are regional countries that have financed their movements for two years, and built financing and assistance institutions and you will find they have more adverts and more election propaganda."

Al-Alawi also clarified that Allawi's visit to Saudi Arabia as the head of an Iraqiya List delegation was equivalent to "a message [to the Arab world with regards to the near future, and this has nothing to do with the issue of financing or support for the elections, and these are things that need months to prepare."

The senior member of the Iraqiya List also told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Iraqiya delegation fully understood the viewpoints that were presented to them with regards to the current reality in Iraq and the prospects for its future. He pointed out that the Iraqiya List "aims to obtain an Arab share in the situation in Iraq, and put a stop to any negative possibilities that may be generated as a result of the ambiguities that have appeared in Iraq in recent days, particularly as we approach the legislative elections."

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Iraq

Construction on Baghdad Barrier Halted

2007-04-23

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Iraq's prime minister said Sunday that he has ordered a halt to the U.S. military construction of a barrier separating a Sunni enclave from surrounding Shiite areas in Baghdad after fierce criticism over the project at home.
Democracy in action. Do we get credit for this?
The challenge to the U.S. initiative came as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki began a regional tour to shore up support from mostly Sunni Arab nations for his Shiite-dominated government as sectarian violence persists despite a nearly 10-week-old security crackdown.

The U.S. military announced last week that it was building a three-mile-long and 12-foot-tall concrete wall in Azamiyah, a Sunni stronghold in northern Baghdad whose residents have often been the victims of retaliatory mortar attacks by Shiite militants following bombings usually blamed on Sunni insurgents.
I've been wondering how a wall would protect against mortar attacks.
U.S. and Iraqi officials defended plans for the barrier as an effort to protect the neighborhood, but residents and Sunni leaders complained it was a form of discrimination that would isolate the community. A large protest was scheduled for Monday in the area.
Great. Another large gathering, another target for terrorists.
In his first public comments on the issue, al-Maliki said Sunday that he had ordered the construction to stop.

"I oppose the building of the wall and its construction will stop," al-Maliki said during a joint news conference with the secretary-general of the Arab League. "There are other methods to protect neighborhoods, but I should point out that the goal was not to separate, but to protect."
Well put.
He did not elaborate but added "this wall reminds us of other walls ~~that prevent our brethren from terrorizing evil Joos~~ that we reject, so I've ordered it to stop and to find other means of protection for the neighborhoods." He wasn't more specific but apparently was referring to the Berlin Wall during the Cold War and Israel's construction of a barrier in the West Bank to keep out suicide bombers.

U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver declined to comment on whether construction of the wall would stop, saying only that all security measures were constantly under discussion.

"We will coordinate with the Iraqi government and Iraqi commanders in order to establish effective, appropriate security measures," he said.

It was not the first time al-Maliki has flexed his political muscle in a bid to force the Americans to back down.
Nor the first time he has invoked the Joos card to gain support and to appear Muslimer than thou.
In October, U.S. forces pulled down roadblocks around Baghdad's Shiite slum of Sadr City hours after al-Maliki gave the order. The prime minister was said to have feared an explosion of violence among members of the Mahdi Army that is headquartered in Sadr City and was loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
How well did that work?
It was not immediately clear if the announcement by al-Maliki in Cairo was part of an effort to win Arab Sunni support. Al-Maliki is said to fear rising support among U.S.-allied Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan for a rumored Iraqi national salvation government led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, a favorite of Washington.
Quite a mercurial and wicked stick they got there, eh al-Maliki? Just don't forget who your daddy is now.
Al-Maliki was told by key Arab leaders in Cairo on Sunday that his government needs to step up reconciliation efforts to include Sunni insurgents if he expects Arab support. Arab diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said al-Maliki was told that Arabs will link their support to a package of demands before they give him help.
And the Sunnis ought to reciprocate and take advantage of that offer, too.
The Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party had denounced the wall's construction earlier Sunday.

"Isolating parts of Baghdad with barbed wire and concrete barriers will inflict social and economic damage and it will lead to more sectarian tension," it said. "This measure will harm the residents and it will have a negative impact on the areas instead of solving the problems."
No whining when more die, right?
Aides to al-Sadr, who had been a key al-Maliki backer but has since withdrawn his support, also criticized the barrier as an "unacceptable" move by the United States, saying they feared Shiite areas in Baghdad like Sadr City would be next.
"Hey General Petraeus, whatever shall we do with all these extra barriers we suddenly have?"
The military said in a statement earlier this week that U.S. soldiers had begun building the wall to protect the minority community on the eastern side of the Tigris River. When the wall is finished, Azamiyah will be gated and traffic control points manned by Iraqi soldiers will be the only entries, it said, stressing that the decision had been made in coordination with the Iraqis.

U.S. and Iraqi forces have long erected cement barriers around marketplaces and coalition bases and outposts in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities to prevent attacks. U.S. forces also have built huge sand barriers around towns such as Tal Afar, an insurgent stronghold near the Syrian border.
Sounds like we're gettin' pretty good at it.
But many residents were alarmed by the plan, and said they had not been consulted. "This will make the whole district a prison. This is collective punishment on the residents of Azamiyah," Ahmed al-Dulaimi, a 41-year-old engineer who lives in the area, said on Saturday.
Why not have several strategic openings with bomb-sniffing dogs and do a body cavity search on anyone who wants through?

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Europe

Germany charges Iraqi with supporting Ansar al-Islam

2007-02-13

An Iraqi man has been charged in Germany with transferring money to his home country to finance the radical Islamic group Ansar al-Islam, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. The 37-year-old, identified only as Burhan B., was charged Jan. 12 with membership of a terrorist organization and violating foreign trade laws. He was arrested last June at Frankfurt airport and has been held since in investigative custody.

Prosecutors said he was in contact with Ata Abdoulaziz Rashid, who is accused of playing a central role in Ansar al-Islam's European network. Rashid is one of three Iraqis currently on trial on charges they plotted to kill former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi when he visited Berlin in 2004.

Burhan B., prosecutors said, made at least three transfers totaling 22,000 (US$28,500) to Ansar al-Islam in Iraq on Rashid's behalf to finance "violent jihad," prosecutors said. The transfers were made between November 2003 and May 2004. "Through these money transfers he supported terrorist activities and at the same time violated foreign trade and payment laws," the prosecutors said in a statement.

Rashid and two co-defendants were arrested in pre-dawn raids on Dec. 3, 2004, hours before they allegedly planned to attack Allawi in Berlin. Prosecutors have not said what kind of attack was planned at a business forum at a bank in downtown Berlin, which was canceled.

German authorities have had suspected supporters of the group under intense scrutiny since late 2003, when an Iraqi was arrested in Munich for allegedly channeling men and money to Ansar al-Islam. Amin Lokman Mohamed was convicted last year of membership of the group and smuggling volunteer fighters from Europe to Iraq. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.

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Europe

Iraqi Suspect Arrested in Germany

2006-06-14

BERLIN (AP) - An Iraqi man has been arrested in Germany on suspicion he transferred money to a radical Islamic group in Iraq linked to al-Qaida, prosecutors said Wednesday. The 36-year-old man, identified only as Burhan B., was arrested Monday at Frankfurt's airport. A federal judge ordered him to remain in custody Tuesday on suspicion of supporting a foreign terrorist organization and violating German export laws, federal prosecutors said in a statement.

They said the suspect was in contact with a man, identified only as Ata A.R., accused of playing a central role in the terror group Ansar al-Islam's European network. Ata A.R. is due to go on trial in Stuttgart next week as the alleged ringleader of a December 2004 plot to kill then-Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi during a visit to Germany. Prosecutors said Burhan B. made at least three transfers totaling more than $27,000 to Ansar al-Islam on Ata A.R.'s behalf. The transfers were made between November 2003 and May 2004.

Ata A.R. and two co-defendants were arrested in pre-dawn raids on Dec. 3, 2004, hours before they allegedly planned to attack Allawi at a business forum in a downtown Berlin bank. Prosecutors have not said what kind of attack was planned at the forum, which was canceled.

Another alleged associate of Ata A.R. is due to go on trial in Munich next week for being a member of Ansar al-Islam. Prosecutors charge that Ferhad Kanabi A., another Iraqi, was responsible for collecting funds in the Munich area and helping Ata A.R. send the money to Iraq.

German authorities have had suspected supporters of the group under intense scrutiny since late 2003, when an Iraqi, Amin Lokman Mohamed, was arrested in Munich for allegedly channeling men and money to Ansar al-Islam. Mohamed was convicted earlier this year of membership of the group and smuggling volunteer fighters from Europe to Iraq. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.

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Iraq

Iraqi police find 8 severed heads near Baqouba

2006-06-04

Iraqi police on Saturday found eight severed heads north of Baghdad with a note indicating at least one of the men were killed in retaliation for the slaying of four Shiite doctors, authorities said. Five of the slain men were security guards at a hospital complex in the capital who had been arrested by Iraqi police on Thursday, Lt. Col. Adil Al-Zihari of the Diyala police said.

Notes found with the heads near a highway in the Hadid village near the volatile city of Baqouba, 60 kilometres northeast of Baghdad, said one of those killed was Abdul Aziz al-Sheik Hamad and accused him of killing four Shiite doctors and a former governor during the administrator of former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. The heads were transferred in fruit boxes to the morgue in Baqouba, a mixed Sunni Arab-Shiite town that has recently seen an increase in sectarian violence.

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Iraq

7 US troops killed in Iraq

2006-05-16

Insurgents shot down a U.S. helicopter during a raid against al Qaeda militants south of Baghdad and killed two soldiers, bringing the weekend death toll of American service members to seven, the U.S. military said Monday.

The military also said American forces killed more than 40 militants, including an al Qaeda operative, in five raids south of Baghdad in an area commonly known as the "Triangle of Death" because of the large number of insurgent attacks.

The U.S. hopes a national unity government that includes Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds will sap the insurgency's strength, but Iraqi politicians struggled against a deadline to form such a government. And with at least 20 Iraqis killed in roadside bombings and drive-by shootings Monday, sectarian violence showed no signs of letting up.

The helicopter was downed after a U.S. operation in Youssifiyah, about 12 miles south of Baghdad. The Mujahedeen Shura Council, a coalition of insurgent groups that includes al Qaeda in Iraq, claimed responsibility in a statement posted on the Internet.

Other Americans killed over the weekend included two U.S. Marines who died Sunday during unspecified "enemy action" in Anbar province, the area of western Iraq that is the heart of the Sunni-led insurgency. Two soldiers died Sunday in a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad, and another died in a roadside bomb in the capital Saturday.

The five U.S. raids south of Baghdad resulted in the killing of an al Qaeda militant blamed for an April 1 attack in the same area that downed a U.S. Apache helicopter and killed two soldiers.

An al Qaeda group had claimed responsibility for downing the Apache and posted a gruesome video on the Internet showing men dragging the burning body of what appeared to be an American soldier across a field as they shouted "Allahu akbar!" or "God is great!"

Also Monday, insurgents fired more than 30 mortar rounds at a British military camp in southern Iraq, wounding four soldiers.

Six British soldiers have been killed and five wounded over the past nine days -- all in southern Iraq, an area that has traditionally been far more peaceful that central and northern Iraq where U.S. forces are based.

Monday's violence came as Iraqi lawmakers alternately -- and with varying degrees of sincerity -- withdrew from the Cabinet negotiations or threatened to do so, and accused each other of greed, sectarianism and self-interest.

Deputies said Prime Minister-designate Nouri al-Maliki could announce a partial Cabinet ahead of a constitutionally mandated May 22 deadline, taking for himself the disputed defense and interior ministry posts. President Jalal Talabani, however, rejected that option.

"The presidency council does not want to see such key ministries excluded," Talabani said after meeting with his Shiite and Sunni Arab vice presidents. "We think the entire Cabinet should be announced."

"The defense and interior ministries are important, and we have previously agreed that they should be taken by independents agreeable to all the main blocs in Iraq," he said.

Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, a member of the Sunni Arab Accordance Front, said it had reached a deal with the main Shiite United Iraqi Alliance in which the Sunnis would nominate the defense minister. In return, the Shiite bloc would name the interior minister.

Similar deals have unraveled over the past few days.

Shiite lawmaker Ali al-Deeb, a member of al-Maliki's Dawa Party, told the AP that "the Defense Ministry is still a problem."

Former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's secular Iraqi List, favored to get the defense post, accused the Sunnis of delaying the process and of stoking violence as a pressure tactic.

"The ceiling has been set too high by the Accordance Front who claim they represent the Sunnis. They still insist on the Defense Ministry," Wael Abdul-Latif, the bloc's spokesman, told the AP. "But the bombs are still playing a role in the negotiations."

The violence underscored the pressure al-Maliki faces.

In Balad Ruz, 50 miles northeast of Baghdad, gunmen pulled three teachers -- two brothers and a cousin -- and their driver from a minibus and killed them. The assault prompted a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew in nearby Baqouba, a mixed city where six Shiite shrines were bombed Saturday.

In addition to the 20 Iraqis killed around Iraq Monday, five corpses were found in western Baghdad.

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