Iraq's political rivals reached a breakthrough power-sharing deal in which Nuri al-Maliki, a Shiite, retains the premiership, a spokesman said on Sunday, exactly eight months after inconclusive elections.
"An agreement was reached yesterday among the political parties in which Jalal Talabani will continue as head of state, Nuri al-Maliki will stay on as prime minister and Iraqiya will choose its candidate for parliament speaker," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told AFP.
He said the deal was between the National Alliance, which represents the main Shiite parties, and the Kurdish coalition, while Iraqiya's support hinged on its agreement over the posts of speaker and president.
My only worry is that we must contain the influence of Moqtada al Sadr and his Iranian patrons.
But first things first. We have a government, it seems, and now we can move forward.
