URGENT – Talabani to withdraw confidence from Maliki if blocs gather 164 votes in parliament

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) MP, Firhad al-Atroushi of the Kurdistani Alliance revealed that “The President, Jalal Talabani, accepted to withdraw confidence from the government of the Premier, Nouri al-Maliki, if the political blocs managed to gather 164 MPs in the parliament supporting this issue.”

Speaking to Iraqi News (IraqiNews.com), he said “Talabani accepted to submit a request to the parliament to withdraw confidence from Maliki if the sides, which attended the meeting in Erbil, managed to gather signatures of 164 MPs supporting this request.”

“The political blocs announced their readiness to gather 164 votes in the parliament to conduct withdrawing confidence from Maliki,” Atroushi concluded.

Earlier, a statement the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan recieved by IraqiNews.com cited “The President, Jalal Talabani, the President of Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani, the head of the Iraqiya Slate, Ayad Allawi, the Speaker, Osama al-Nijaifi, and the Deputy Premier, Salih al-Mutleg, held a meeting at Dokan Resort in Sulaimaniya province of Kurdistan Region.”

A meeting between Talabani and Barzani over the political process has preceded this meeting.

MP, Burhan Mohamed Faraj, stated to IraqiNews.com “The meeting between Talabani and Barzani will discuss the current crisis and the issue of withdrawing confidence from the Premier, Nouri al-Maliki.”

“An extended meeting will start later on Wednesday among the political blocs,” he added, expecting “Sides from the Iraqi National Alliance to join the meeting beside the Iraqiya Slate and the Kurdistani Alliance.”