“US troops withdrawal from Iraq won’t affect formation of new govt.,” says Ali al-Allaq

“US troops withdrawal from Iraq won’t affect formation of new govt.,” says Ali al-Allaq

August 29, 2010 - 12:17:01

BAGHDAD / Aswat Al-Iraq - A leader in the Dawlat al-Qanoon (State of Law) Alliance, led by outgoing Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said on Sunday that the U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq would not affect the formation of the new Iraqi government.

“The American troops withdrawal from Iraq won’t affect the formation of the new Iraqi government,” Ali al-Allaq told Aswat Al-Iraq, adding that the formation of the new cabinet is an internal Iraqi affair, a national and constitutional right.

The political arena in Iraq is witnessing differences among the leading blocs that won the March 7th nationwide elections regarding the nomination of a candidate for the new prime minister’s post and the formation of the forthcoming government. This was particularly evident between the two main blocs that won the largest number of votes, Al-Iraqiya bloc, led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and the Dawlat al-Qanoon (State of Law) Alliance, led by outgoing Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, none of whom had scored the parliamentary majority that enables it to form the new government by itself alone.

Noteworthy is that neither al-Iraqiya, who won 91 seats, nor the Dawlat al-Qanoon, which scored 89 seats, achieved the necessary majority to form the new government alone, whilst the new parliament’s sessions had been postponed. This is considered a violation of the constitutional period necessary to elect a presidential speaker for the new parliament and a new president for the Iraqi Republic.

Allaq went on to say that “the U.S. troops withdrawal had been part of the security agreement signed between Iraq and the United States, whilst a large number of American troops would stay in Iraq for training the Iraqi troops. This should not have any serious affect on the formation of the new government.”

The American mass media reported last week that the last U.S. combat division had left Iraq, passing through the Kuwaiti borders, 7.5 years after the American invasion of Iraq in March 2003. The withdrawal came according to the security agreement signed between Washingon and Baghdad, reiterating the withdrawal of the last American soldier from Iraq by the end of 2011.

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