Political leaders’ meeting to focus on key points

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: North Iraq’s Kurdistan Alliance’s leader, Mahmoud Othman, has expressed expectation that the meeting of the leaders of the political blocs in the residence of President Jalal Talabani, to concentrate on the withdrawal of the U.S. forces from Iraq, a proposal to trim down the Cabinet and to settle the current differences between the State of Law and al-Iraqiya.   Othman told IraqiNews.com news agency on Wednesday: “We hope that the said meeting would reach an agreement towards the withdrawal of the U.S. forces from Iraq, along with a positive result towards the trimming down of the Cabinet, as well as the settlement of the current differences between the State of Law and al-Iraqiya.”   “I don’t expect that all problems would be settled in this meeting, but we need other meetings and discussions, though the current meeting is considered a step forward towards the settlement of the country’s problems,” Othman said.   Noteworthy is that the leaders of Iraq’s political forces have met in the residence of President Jalal Talabani on Saturday to discuss the suspended dossiers and differences between the State of Law Coalition, led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and al-Iraqiya Coalition, led by Iyad Allawi, as well as the issue of the Cabinet’s trimming and the U.S. troops withdrawal from Iraq.   SKH (TI)/SR 498