Rice Confident Iraqis Will Form New Government

American Forces Press Service ^ | Gerry Gilmore

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, April 3, 2006 – Iraqi politicians need to move forward, choose senior parliamentary leaders, and form a permanent government, America's top diplomat said in Baghdad today.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw talk to reporters during a press conference in Baghdad April 3. Defense Department photo  

"The Iraqi people are rightly demanding that they have a government after they braved the threats of terrorists to go to the polls and vote," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw accompanied Rice, who arrived in Iraq yesterday.

The United States, Britain "and others who have forces on the ground and have sacrificed here have a deep desire and, I think, a right to expect that this process will keep moving forward," Rice said at today's news conference.

Iraq's political leaders will sort out their differences and form a new, permanent government soon, Rice told reporters yesterday in Baghdad. "There is a lot of desire in this country to make (democracy) work. You know, the people want to make it work," Rice said yesterday after meeting with Iraqi leaders.

Iraqi officials have been working for weeks to establish a new government based on the results of the Dec. 15, 2005, nationwide elections.

Rice also said yesterday that she was impressed with recent cartoons appearing in Iraqi newspapers that have criticized politicians' slowness in forming a new government. "You would not have been doing cartoons about whatever Saddam Hussein was doing and live to tell about it," Rice said. "And here, you have in their free press people apparently just lampooning their government for not getting formed."

That expression of free speech demonstrates the Iraqi people's "desire to have this democratic process work, and it shows the kind of political maturity that's pretty extraordinary," Rice said yesterday in Baghdad.

Rice praised those Iraqis who are working hard to establish their new government, while scorning others "who set off roadside bombs and ... blow up innocent kids."

Rice said yesterday that the political fate of interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, who's trying to keep his job in the new government, is an Iraqi affair. The key goal, Rice said, is forming a government of national unity in Iraq that will derail those trying to fan sectarian violence.

"I don't know who the (new) prime minister is going to be, and it's not our role to try and determine who the prime minister is going to be," Rice said yesterday. The Iraqis must "get a prime minister who can actually form the government," she said.

Rice reiterated her belief that Iraqis soon would get their political house in order. "I really do believe that when you've got this much desire to make it work, this much resilience at overcoming sectarian differences, they're going to make it work," Rice said during yesterday's news conference in Baghdad.

[OldFriend]

Hah, how well I rememember those 36 days of hell while SORE/LOSERMAN was trying to steal the election.

Yes the Iraqi's need to step up to the plate but the dems need to shut their mouths for once.

Offer some encouragement not endless constant criticism.

[OldFriend]

I am not saying anything. I don't have enough information to consider myself even moderately informed.

They do need to get off the dime and start getting serious. Lots of people risked their lives to give them a government so they need to work it out.

It took the US years and years after the revolution to form a goverment so this bitching about three months is ludicrous.

[RightWhale]

What's the holdup that they don't have a gummint yet? Italy could have a couple dozen by now.

[mcvey]

Actually, that is not how a parliamentary government works at all. The voters vote for Members of Parliament. If enough members of one party win then that party forms a government. But in this case, that didn't happen. So, the party that won the most seats in the parliament must bargain with other parties until they get a majority. This means that the different parties all have a shot at EVERY cabinet position including Prime Minister. In this instance, seven different parties formed together to create a coalition and the MP's of those parties put forward a nominee for Prime Minister. But he won by only one vote and cannot command enough support from other parties to actually make the government function. So they continue to negotiate.
It is entirely possible that other parties will be able to form around another candidate--that seems to be happening. We will see though.
McVey