BAGHDAD - Iraq's newly-elected parliament may reconvene on March 24 after its inaugural session on Wednesday amid signs of a final deal on a new coalition government, one of the Shiite negotiators said Friday.
"We have set next Thursday as a preliminary date for the national assembly to reconvene," Jawad al-Maliky, a member of the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance told AFP.
"We have agreed on the principles of the government, but we do not have yet a final deal on the makeup of the government, we hope that will happen before the assembly meets."
He refused to provide further details.
Kurdish negotiator and Iraq's outgoing foreign minister Hoshyar al-Zebari cautioned no date was set in stone.
"There is no definitive date. It will be soon. Our goal is really to reach an agreement on the formation of a new government ahead of the second session of parliament," Zebari said.
The foreign minister hailed a genuine consensus between the two big election winners, the Shiites and Kurds, and said the goal was now to bring in players like outgoing prime minister Iyad Allawi, as well as Iraq's Sunnis, Christians and Turkmen.
"We're now trying to reach out to the other lists. This is why it is taking so long."
03/18/2005 12:41 GMT