Iraq cabinet proposal submitted to council

Iraq’s prime minister-designate today submitted to the presidential council a proposal for a broad-based cabinet, drawing in the country’s main ethnic and religious groups.

The list will be presented in the 275-member National Assembly tomorrow, Prime Minister-designate Ibrahim al-Jaafari said at a news briefing.

Al-Jaafari did not release any of the names on the list, but said it included representatives of all the country’s major groups, including Shiite and Sunni Arabs.

President Jalal Talabani must sign off on the proposal before the assembly votes on the new government.

Talabani has already indicated he would not exercise his veto, and parliament Speaker Hajim al-Hassani told the assembly earlier today they would be asked to vote on the new cabinet the following day.