Shia party says it will not participate in Iraq's cabinet

A Shiite political party today said it would not participate in the formation of a new Cabinet, saying the selection of the ministers was being dictated by personal interests that ran counter to the spirit of national unity.

“We have found that the way the negotiations are progressing, and the way (ministerial) posts are being distributed, which is based on personal interest and selfish desires ... will not lead to the formation of a truly new Iraq,” said Sabah al-Saadi spokesman for the Fadhila party.

Fadhila – which holds 15 seats in Iraq’s 275-seat parliament – is one of seven parties comprising the powerful Shiite bloc, the United Iraqi Alliance. Its withdrawal reflects the continuing challenges facing Prime Minister-designate Nouri al-Maliki in his bid to form a new national unity government ahead of the May 22 deadline he was given.

“Therefore, we have reached a final stance that we will not participate in the Cabinet but will remain in the parliament to express the voice of the people,” he said. “We will form an opposition block in the parliament.”

Al-Maliki has said he would announce the new Cabinet by the end of the week, but Shiite and Sunni politicians have said negotiations between the various political blocs were bogged down and that a complete list of Cabinet ministers was unlikely to be announced before next week.

Al-Saadi declined to specify what precisely triggered the party’s decision to withdraw its bid for ministerial posts. But over the past week, its officials have repeatedly said they wanted the key Oil Ministry, one of the five so-called “sovereignty” ministries. The others are the Interior, Defence, Foreign Affairs and Finance ministries.

Fadhila member Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum had previously served as oil minister. But he resigned for a second time in January amid public anger over increased oil prices in Iraq. His resignation came after criticism from prominent Shiite members of the government.

“Fadhila deserves, more than others, the Ministry of Oil, particularly if we find that some important posts were given to independents,” said al-Saadi, adding that “the government should be formed on the basis of honesty and loyalty to Iraq.”

Al-Saadi said the decision did not indicate a rift within the United Iraqi Alliance.