surge update - Iraqis Fail to Agree on Provincial Election Law

[spanone]

no political progress - the surge has failed

BAGHDAD — Iraqi lawmakers failed to come to an agreement on a provincial election law before adjourning for Parliament’s monthlong summer recess on Wednesday, leaving the fate of provincial elections in doubt for this year.

It was a significant setback that Iraq’s leaders failed to take advantage of the lull in violence to make crucial political changes.

The provincial council elections are seen by many, including the United States, as a necessary step toward reconciliation among Iraq’s political factions, particularly Sunni Muslims, a group underrepresented in Iraq’s national and regional politics

The negotiations have been closely watched in the United States, and President Bush has personally called Iraqi political leaders urging them to find a solution.

The announcement that Parliament was adjourning without an agreement — made by the speaker, Mahmoud Mashhadani — took many lawmakers by surprise and cast doubt on whether the elections would be held this year.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/world/middleeast/07iraq.html?hp=&pagewanted=print

[Solly Mack]

1. K/R

My head hurts.