Baghdad, Iraq – Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari ruled out stepping down Wednesday to facilitate formation of a new Iraqi coalition government, as lawmakers worked behind the scenes to break a political deadlock amid signs of growing U.S. impatience.
Al-Jaafari, a Shiite Muslim doctor whose United Iraqi Alliance won the largest share of seats in December’s parliamentary elections, wants to remain in the post he has held in a transitional capacity despite opposition from Sunni Muslim Arabs, Kurds and some members of his own Shiite bloc.
Iraq’s 275-member National Assembly, or parliament, is scheduled to convene today to try to resolve the political disputes impeding formation of a new permanent government of national unity. It was unclear whether any deals had been reached in advance of the session.
Parliamentary speaker Adnan Pachachi went into a closed- door meeting and was not immediately available for comment.
The assembly had been scheduled to meet this past Monday, but lawmakers agreed to postpone the session to give the Shiite bloc more time to resolve disputes over its decision to keep al-Jaafari as prime minister.
Al-Jaafari himself refused to budge, telling a nationally televised news conference that stepping down was “out of the question.” He added, “I can’t understand how resigning … would benefit the national interest.”
In Washington, where administration officials and members of Congress have grown increasingly exasperated with the factional squabbling, President Bush issued a new call for consensus.
He told reporters that “the Iraqis must step up and form a unity government so that those who went to the polls to vote recognize that a government will be in place to respond to their needs.”
Saying that “the political process in Iraq must occur soon,” Bush added that “failure in Iraq is not an option.”
U.S. political and military leaders see a unity government made up of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds as vital for efforts to undercut Iraq’s insurgency, which draws most of its support from disaffected Sunni Arabs.
