Iraq Government Talks...

[GarzaUK]

Fail!

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/050313/325/fe77z.html

KURDS DEFIANT

Kurdish politicians were defiant, rebuffing the Shi'ite alliance's attempts to blame them for the deadlock.

"They want to lay the responsibility for the political equation solely on the Kurdish side," Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, a Kurd, told Al Arabiya television.

"We are willing to sacrifice the presidency to the Shi'ites if the Shi'ites sacrifice the premiership to a Sunni," Salih said in a comment laced with irony as the Shi'ite bloc insists that as election winner it should nominate the prime minister.

The Kurds, who number about 3 million out of Iraq's 27 million people, want the presidency for Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani, and a top ministry -- interior, finance or defence.

They also want their share of oil revenue to rise to 25 percent from 17 percent now, and inclusion of Kirkuk in the Kurdistan federal region.

The stand-off plays into the hands of interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, whose cabinet could now remain in a caretaker role until a general election due at the end of the year.

Sunni Arabs, dominant under Saddam, largely boycotted the election and have little representation in the new assembly.

Mainly Sunni insurgents have staged ever bolder attacks on Shi'ite and official targets in their campaign to topple the U.S.-backed government and stall efforts to form a new cabinet

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Hmm bickering already about things in their first meeting while their country crumbles around them, but hey that's democracy I guess.
I told you guys were cheering Iraqi's Freedom and Democracy too soon. If the Kurds keep bickering, they might claim total independence... and we know what that would do. Lots and lots of Turks.

But hey, it's too soon to tell. But I might get my "I told you so!" post typed up - just in case.