BAGHDAD - Iraq's stuttering transition to elected government hit a further setback on Tuesday when Sunni deputies in parliament failed to reach consensus over a nominee for the post of speaker.
The lack of agreement from the minority Sunnis sparked anger from lawmakers and forced the postponement of the nomination of the speaker and his deputies, scheduled to take place on Tuesday, until Sunday.
"The meeting is over and it has been postponed until Sunday," Hassan al-Fayad, the son and aide to acting speaker Sheikh Dhari al-Fayad told.
The new delay comes as the election-winning Shiite coalition and their would-be Kurdish allies are still locked in protracted negotiations over the composition of Iraq's new government, two months after its historic elections.
The Sunnis are expected to get the post of speaker as Iraq's other communities attempt to integrate the minority into mainstream political life after it largely boycotted the elections.
The session, presided over by Sheikh Dhari, opened almost three hours late with the 87-year-old tribal chieftain saying that the leaders of the main parliament blocs have asked for the session to be adjourned.
"The principal lists are asking to delay the vote for another time so the Sunnis can finish talks among themselves to choose a nominee," Dhari told deputies.
He was flanked by Hajem Al-Hassani, a Sunni contender for the post of speaker and Hussien al-Shahristani, a member of the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) list, the largest bloc in parliament with 146 of the 275 seats.
"If this to be a truly national assembly, then we must open up this process to the Iraqi people so they would know who is really delaying the democratic process, otherwise you are smashing the aspirations of the Iraqi people," thundered a veiled female deputy who did not give her name.
"By Sunday hopefully we will form the national assembly," Dhari told the unnamed deputy referring to the election of the speaker and two deputies.
UIA member Abbas al-Bayati said before the start of the session that there was a crisis as the leaders of the various coalitions were putting pressure on outgoing president Ghazi al-Yawar to accept the largely symbolic post.
His office said Monday that the Sunni tribal leader has turned down persistent offers to take over the position, which the election-winning Kurds and Shiites want reserved for Sunnis.
A member of outgoing prime minister Iyad Allawi's list stood up and delivered a veiled rebuke to the Sunnis.
"The winning lists are not the ones delaying the session," said
Sayed Hussein al-Sadr, a black-turbaned cleric.
"We hope the brothers (Sunnis) will decide among themselves tonight so that the national assembly can meet tomorrow to choose its speaker and two deputies... the street is waiting for some achievement from us, what will we tell them?"
At that moment Sheikh Dhari ordered the press out for a closed session.
Two months after the election, the country's ethnic and religious groups have stumbled in forming a government, quarreling over important posts such as the oil ministry and over Islam's role in politics.
The Shiites and Kurds had agreed to award the post of speaker to one of around 20 Sunni Arabs in parliament in a bid to reach out to the embittered community that largely boycotted the election.
The Shiites were backing UIA member Sheikh Fawaz al-Jarba, a tribal leader from the powerful Shammar tribal confederation, which straddles the sectarian divide.
A Shiite negotiator said the Kurds wanted Hassani, the outgoing industry minister, who won a seat in parliament as part of Yawar's list.
But Hassani told reporters Tuesday he did not want the job and hinted at internal discord among the Sunnis.
Sunni representatives were "presenting proposals to those who are absent from the national assembly. The problem is that those who are not in the assembly do not want candidates imposed on them," Hassani said.
03/29/2005 12:37 GMT