For example, the Shiites rejected the Sunni nominee for parliament speaker,
Tariq al-Hashimi. Disputes also emerged Sunday over the two deputy speakers and
two vice presidents — jobs expected to go to Sunnis and Kurds.
"This delay will affect everything," Sunni lawmaker Naseer al-Ani said. "The
Shiites did not tell us the reasons behind rejecting al-Hashimi like we did
about al-Jaafari. We're still waiting to hear the reasons."
Pressure has been mounting on the Shiites to replace al-Jaafari, whom critics
accuse of failing to curb sectarian tension that has soared since the Feb. 22
bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra, which triggered a wave of reprisal
attacks against Sunnis.
Shiite politicians not affiliated with major parties have proposed that
al-Jaafari step aside in favor of another candidate from his Dawa party. In
return, the biggest Shiite party, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution
in Iraq, would not push Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi for the post.
However, Dawa leaders complained of interference by outsiders and insisted
they should decide al-Jaafari's fate, according to several Shiite officials who
spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations were at a sensitive
stage.
In an interview Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition," Iraq's ambassador to the
U.S., Samir Sumaidaie, said Shiite lawmaker Ali al-Adeeb had emerged as a
possible prime minister candidate. Al-Adeeb is a member of al-Jaafari's party
but spent many years in Shiite-dominated Iran — which could cause problems with
the Sunnis.
Al-Jaafari won the nomination in a vote last February by Shiite lawmakers due
to strong support from radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The
mercurial young cleric, who heads the dreaded Mahdi Army militia, has vowed to
stand behind the incumbent.
With little progress on the political front, Iraq's slide toward chaos
continued.
Four Marines — three from Regimental Combat Team Five and one from the 2/28
Brigade Combat Team — died Saturday in Anbar province, the U.S. command said
Sunday.
Their deaths raised to at least 2,376 the number of U.S. military members who
have died since the war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press
count. The rise in U.S. casualties followed a sharp drop in March, which saw the
lowest number of American dead in Iraq since February 2004.