Debate ends for parliamentary speaker post
(3 Apr 2005) 1. Wide shot opening of transitional assembly session, with members of parliament sitting down 2. Zoom in to session 3. Members of parliament sitting 4. Opening of session 5. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Dhari Al-Fiadh, Chairman of Session: "We are meeting to choose a speaker of the Iraqi National Assembly and his two deputies. The Iraq parliament will announce the names of the country's new president, vice presidents and prime minister by Wednesday." 6. Mid shot of Foad Masum, member of the Kurdish list, asking members to observe a minute of silence for Pope John Paul II 7. Members standing up and observing silence 8. Names of nominated members on a board 9. Members of the national assembly casting votes 10. Member casting vote 11. Declaring Hajim al-Hassani speaker of the national assembly 12. Members of the National Assembly congratulating Al-Hassani 13. Al- Hassani and his deputies sitting down STORYLINE: Iraqi lawmakers elected Industry Minister Hajim al-Hassani, a Sunni Arab, as parliament speaker on Sunday, ending days of deadlock and moving forward on forming a new government two months after the country's historic elections. The decision was a step toward repairing the tattered image of the newly-elected National Assembly, which had bickered for days over who would take the speaker post. "It's time for the patient Iraqi people to be treated with the dignity that god has given them," al-Hassani said, accepting his new post. He urged his fellow lawmakers to work together, adding that "if we neglect our duties and fail, then we will hurt ourselves and the people will replace us with others". Former nuclear scientist Hussain al-Shahristani, a Shiite, and Kurdish official Aref Taifour were elected as al-Hassani's deputies. The three were chosen by secret ballot, with lawmakers allowed to write the names of no more than three of five possible candidates on pieces of paper that were put into a box. The ballots were then read out and marked down. The three top candidates - Al-Hassani with 215 votes, al-Shahristani with 157, and Taifour with 96 - were elected. Al-Hassani urged legislators to pledge their "allegiance to the country and the people, not to the party or the sect or the ethnicity". His statement was greeted by applause. Lawmakers had focused on picking a Sunni Arab as speaker in an effort to reach out to the minority dominant under ousted dictator Saddam Hussein. Sunni Arabs, believed to make up the backbone of the insurgency, have a disproportionately small number of seats in parliament because many boycotted the election or stayed home because they feared attacks at the polls. Officials said 28 parliament members were absent from Sunday's session, including outgoing Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, who wasn't in Baghdad. Ten showed up during the voting, and five came after the ballots were cast. Some said they were held up because streets were blocked due to security concerns. Shortly after the votes were tallied, an apparent mortar round fell behind the Foreign Ministry building, just outside the heavily fortified Green Zone where the lawmakers were meeting. No casualties were reported. Lawmakers had hoped to also name a new interim president - expected to be Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani - but officials said that would be put off for a few days. Parliament's 275 members have struggled to form a new government after January 30 elections. Their session on Tuesday to choose a parliament speaker disintegrated into shouting and accusations. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
