Iraqi political groups reached agreement yesterday on the country's next president and vice presidents in a step seen as overcoming a political impasse and forming a new government. Leaders of the main political blocs said veteran Kurdish politician Jalal Talabani would be named president at a Parliament meeting today, more than nine weeks after millions of Iraqis braved insurgent bombs to vote.Politicians said the two vice presidents will be Adel Abdul Mahdi, a Shiite who was finance minister in the outgoing government, and Sunni tribal leader Ghazi Al-Yawar, the previous president. The alliance that won a slim majority in Parliament and the Kurdish coalition that came second in the polls have been arguing over the shape of the new government for weeks. They have also been trying to include representatives of the Sunni minority that dominated Iraq under Saddam Hussein but was left sidelined after most Sunnis stayed away from the Jan. 30 polls. There are only 17 Sunni lawmakers in the 275-member Parliament.
Disagreement over which Sunni would be vice president held up a deal, but political leaders said late yesterday that Yawar had been chosen over elder statesman Adnan Pachachi. Once the presidential council is appointed it must name a prime minister, who will choose a Cabinet. Shiites and Kurds have agreed that Shiite leader Ibrahim Al-Jaafari will be prime minister, taking over from secular Shiite Iyad Allawi. Jaafari is expected to be officially appointed tomorrow, political leaders said.
