US wants greater effort from Iraq to form government

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday urged Iraqis on all sides to make greater efforts to overcome differences and end a four-month stalemate in forming a government.

"More is needed from everyone involved," Clinton said after talks with her Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari, saying she shared "a sense of urgency."

"We urge the leaders of Iraq to reach a agreement and to put their personal interest behind the national interest," she said.

"I reiterated the US has no preference about the outcome... but we are concerned about the delay," the top US diplomat said.

For his part, Zebari said the delay was being taken seriously and that despite "some delays, eventually a government will emerge."

"We are doing our best to do that, in order to avoid any constitutional, governmental vacuum."

Iraqi politicians on Monday extended an inaugural parliamentary session by two weeks to give rival blocs more time to form a government, more than four months after the elections.

The parliament, the second democratically elected chamber since the 2003 fall of dictator Saddam Hussein, met briefly for the first time on June 14 after the March 7 general election.

Under the conflict-wracked country's new constitution, there was a one-month deadline from that date for members to reconvene.

But deadlock over who will become Iraq's new prime minister has stalled efforts to form a government.

"Anything the US can do, we stand ready to do in order to encourage the government formation as soon as possible," Clinton said.

Eager to see a peaceful resolution before it begins withdrawing troops in September, Washington has sought to break the political deadlock.

In early July, US Vice President Joe Biden traveled to Iraq to urge politicians to put aside personal ambitions and form a government representative of all Iraqis.

Iraq parliament session delayed over govt impasse

Iraq on Monday delayed a parliament session scheduled for this week as the political impasse over who will lead the country drags into its fifth month.

The deadlock comes as U.S. forces are pulling out of the country even as politicians seem unable to compromise over the formation of their future government following inconclusive national elections.

"There are still differences in points of views, so it is impossible to enter the parliament hall," said acting parliament speaker Fouad Massoum, warning that the next session could be delayed for days, if not weeks.

Elections on March 7 did not give any party enough seats to form a majority in the 325-member parliament. For the past several months, the major coalitions have been engaged in intense negotiations to win enough allies to form a government.

The alliance in early May of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's coalition and another Shiite bloc backed by Iran seemed to indicate the process was picking up speed with their super-coalition only four seats shy of a governing majority.

But even that alliance is showing cracks as many of the al-Maliki's putative allies are virulently opposed to the prime minister keeping his job.

Massoum said the fact that the parliament was not meeting this week is a violation of the constitution, but he said that nothing can be done. Massoum did not clarify what he meant by the violation but one article of the constitution indicates that the new president should elected within 30 days of the new parliament first meeting.

Meanwhile, Iraq has issued arrest warrants for 39 members of an Iranian opposition group who have lived in a camp northeast of Baghdad since Saddam Hussein's reign.

The development comes just days after American soldiers shut down their base near Camp Ashraf as part of the U.S. troop drawdown.

The presence of the Iranian group, which fought alongside Saddam during his 1980s war with Iran, has long irritated Iraq's Shiite-led government.

A senior Iraqi judiciary official said on Monday that the wanted members of the group — known as The People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran — are suspected of committing crimes while helping Saddam crush the 1991 Shiite revolt.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Iraqi PM: Appeals panel can review election law

BAGHDAD -- Iraq's prime minister says he accepts an appeals panel's jurisdiction over a ban on candidates from March 7 parliamentary elections for their suspected ties to Saddam Hussein's regime.

The seven-member panel is combing through a list of candidates barred from the election.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had pushed for the ban, and his decision Monday to leave the candidates' appeals in the court rather than let parliament rule on the issue in an emergency session is seen as a concession.

The issue has threatened to hurt the credibility of a vote officials hope could be a milestone in the country's democratic evolution.

The ban initially affected about 450 candidates, but most were replaced by their parties or dropped out.

Iraq - Foreign Minister Receives Ambassador of the Czech Republic in Baghdad

His Excellency Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari received in his office this afternoon 7th .Feb.2010 Ambassador of the Czech Republic in Baghdad Ms. Bronislava Tomasova , and conveyed the appreciation of Czech Deputy Prime Minister – Foreign Minister Jan Kohout for the hospitality by the Iraqi Government during his last visit to Baghdad in October and the results of this visit .

Minister Zebari pointed to the importance of developing bilateral relations between the two countries, stressing on the importance of participation of the Observers in the elections which will be held in Iraq, the Ambassador expressed her country’s intention to send Observers in the European Mission to supervise the elections in several Iraqi Cities. Also sent a formal invitation from Czech Foreign Minister to his Excellency to visit Czech Republic at a date to be agreed later and also expressed the readiness of the Czech Foreign Ministry to hold a course to develop Diplomatic expertise for the Ministry’s Staff.