This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/09/world/middleeast/iraq.html

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Lawmakers in Iraq Will Meet Again to Try to Form a Government Iraqi Lawmakers to Reconvene In Effort to Form Government
(about 11 hours later)
BAGHDAD — The Iraqi Parliament on Tuesday set its next meeting for Sunday as it tries again to form a new government after a failed attempt last week.BAGHDAD — The Iraqi Parliament on Tuesday set its next meeting for Sunday as it tries again to form a new government after a failed attempt last week.
It is unclear, however, whether there will be any progress or even enough lawmakers present to form a quorum at the meeting. While the effort to form a government continued, fighting in northern and western Sunni provinces continued with no decisive movement on either side, but with airstrikes on Sunni militant positions in Tikrit and moves by militants to take more villages in northeastern Salahuddin Province.
The Parliament’s administrative office had told lawmakers on Monday that there would be no session until Aug. 12. That announcement was met with dismay by the international community, which has been urging Iraq to act quickly to form a government that reflects the country’s diverse and often hostile religious sects and ethnic groups. It was unclear whether there would be any progress on Sunday or enough lawmakers present to form a quorum.
Later on Monday, the temporary speaker, Mehdi al-Hafith, announced that Parliament would attempt to meet on Sunday “in order to safeguard the public interest and continue to build democracy.” Parliament’s administrative office had told lawmakers on Monday that there would be no session until Aug. 12. That announcement was met with dismay by other nations, which have been urging Iraq to act quickly to form a government that reflects the country’s diverse and often hostile religious sects and ethnic groups.
​"I am calling on the political blocs, in this period, to agree on the necessary nominations to start the new parliamentary term and form the government,” he added. On Tuesday, the temporary speaker, Mehdi al-Hafith, announced that Parliament would attempt to meet on Sunday “in order to safeguard the public interest and continue to build democracy.”
​The first step under the Constitution is to elect a speaker, traditionally a Sunni, and then within a month to name a president and two vice presidents. Two weeks after that, the Parliament must choose a prime minister. The first step under the Constitution is to elect a speaker, and within a month to name a president and two vice presidents. Two weeks after that, Parliament is required to choose a prime minister.
The current Parliament, which was elected in April, has not yet formed a government, in part because there is antagonism toward the prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, despite his party receiving the largest number of votes. There now seems to be a focused attempt to remove Mr. Maliki and find an acceptable alternative. Mr. Maliki, however, who would like to serve a third term, is trying to use his role as commander in chief to improve his image and to depict himself as crucial to holding the army together. Though elected in April, Parliament has not yet formed a government, in part because there is antagonism toward Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. There now seems to be a focused effort to remove Mr. Maliki and find an acceptable alternative. Mr. Maliki, however, is pursuing a third term and is using his position as commander in chief to portray himself as crucial to holding the army together.
There is no consensus candidate yet for prime minister.There is no consensus candidate yet for prime minister.
In northern and western Iraq, both the Sunni militants led by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, and Iraqi government forces attempted to make gains.
In Tikrit, the capital of Salahuddin Province, Iraqi forces bombed buildings they believed were ISIS positions, but also dropped leaflets urging Tikritis to support them and fight ISIS.
In Al Qaim, on the western Iraqi border with Syria, three witnesses said they saw a drone fly in from Syria and drop a bomb on the military headquarters in the town. In Samarra, a town north of Baghdad, a suicide bomber detonated himself near the headquarters of the security command center, killing five people and wounding four others, according to an officer in the command center.
The United Nations also made public on Tuesday a letter from the Iraqi ambassador to the United Nations that said the government had lost a former chemical weapons facility to “armed terrorist groups.”