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More Cabinet Defections Imperil Iraqi Regime

Political chaos rises as more cabinet-members

By Heather McPherson,  Newser User

Posted Aug 6, 2007 5:13 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Four more Iraqi cabinet ministers said today they're boycotting meetings, bringing the total to a whopping 17 and leaving PM Nouri al-Maliki with a tenuous majority in the 37-member body. In the latest round of infighting, the newest defectors, all allies of the country's first postwar PM, charge that Maliki has turned a deaf ear to their demands.

The PM is on better terms with the remaining ministers, but the country still has no agreements in place on alloting oil revenues, reincorporating ex-Baathists into the political arena, or organizing provincial elections. An upcoming summit involving Sunni, Shit'ite, and Kurdish leaders will be a "moment of truth," one Western official tells Reuters.

In this image released by the Iraqi government, President Jalal Talabani, center, speaks at a press conference with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, left, and Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi, right, in Baghdad, Iraq, on Sunday, Aug. 5, 2007. Iraq's prime minister on Sunday rejected the resignation of Cabinet ministers from the...
In this image released by the Iraqi government, President Jalal Talabani, center, speaks at a press conference with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, left, and Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi, right, in...   (Associated Press)
In this image released by the Iraqi government, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, center, meets with local government officials in his office in Baghdad, Iraq, on Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2007. (AP Photo/Iraqi Government)
In this image released by the Iraqi government, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, center, meets with local government officials in his office in Baghdad, Iraq, on Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2007. (AP Photo/Iraqi...   (Associated Press)
Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki addresses troops.
Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki addresses troops.   (Getty Images (by Event))
US President George W. Bush speaks during a joint press conference with Maliki.
US President George W. Bush speaks during a joint press conference with Maliki.   (Getty Images)
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Sunni • Shiite • Nouri al-Maliki • Kurds • Iraq government • Baath Party

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