Parliament’s voting on Security Cabinet Posts postponed, Speaker says.

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi Parliament’s Speaker, Usama al-Nujeify, has said on Thursday that the voting on the candidates for the security cabinet posts had been postponed due to failure of the Leaders of different political blocs to reach an agreement on the candidates.   “The Parliament shall call on the political blocs soon to meet, in order to confirm the national dialogue, partnership and to put an end to the obstacles among those blocs, and to agree on a common working program,” Nujeify told a news conference, adding that the “current situation does not help to take decisions.”   Nujeify said that the Parliament’s chairmanship had met on Wednesday with the leaders of the political blocs, but agreement was not reached on the names of the said candidates. “So, we decided to postpone the issue for few more days, in order to carry out further dialogues,” he added.   Differences have taken place since about four months on the candidates for the security cabinet posts, that are still vacant, especially the Interior and Defense ministers posts, with the first being the share of the National Coalition and the second of al-Iraqiya Coalition, with a condition that the posts be granted to independent elements, but each party is rejecting the candidate of the other.   As regards to the voting on the Vice-Presidents posts, he said “the end of the issue of the Vice-Presidents shall end the crisis, ease out the tension and make viewpoints get close,” adding that the voting took place in response to the agreement of the majority of the Parliament’s members.   The Parliament had voted with majority on the three Vice-Presidents in one-basket, according to a Parliament media source on Thursday.   SKH (RT)         991