Shiites Reach Deal for Government Posts

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Members of Iraq’s largest alliance announced on Saturday that Shiite parties reached an agreement to divide up ministerial posts and will take the proposal to other groups.

The office of former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, an influential Shiite leader, said in a statement that the Shiite National Alliance reached the deal among themselves after weeks of talks and encouraged “all other parties to submit the names of their nominees for the ministerial posts.”

Prime Minister-designate Haider al-Abadi is trying to form an inclusive government that represents Arab Sunnis and Kurds who were alienated by the outgoing premier, Nouri al-Maliki.

Jaafari’s statement said the goal was to form a new government “within the legal timeframe,” but didn’t specify a deadline. While legal mandates aren’t always respected in Iraq, the prime minister by law must form a cabinet within 30 days of his nomination, giving Abadi until Sept. 11 to put together a government.

On Friday, Shiite clerics called on Iraqi politicians to speed up negotiations and form the long-awaited government.

Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish groups resumed talks in earnest earlier this month to address key sticking points that emerged with Baghdad under Maliki’s government.

Sunnis are making tough demands include control of security ministries, reinstating Sunni Arabs in security forces and the elimination of de-Baathification laws that Sunni Arabs say sideline them from power. Among the Kurdish conditions are continued control of disputed areas like Kirkuk, funding for Peshmerga and the central government to recognize their oil deals.

Some Sunnis dropped out of negotiations this week after a massacre at a Sunni mosque. While the circumstances are murky, some reports indicated a Shiite militia carried out the attack. Sunni tribes have also indicated they are reluctant about backing an Abadi government.

Maliki, meanwhile, accused some parties of making unconstitutional demands for joining the government.

“We have listened to all parties and received the demands of some,” Maliki said in a televised address. “The demands of some of them are against the constitution while others are possible to meet.”

Abadi said last week that the negotiations were positive and that he was eager to “form an inclusive government.”