Iraqi reconstruction bloc head says no final deal to complete Prime Minister al-Zaydi's cabinet

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The head of the Reconstruction and Development Bloc, Baha al-Areji, said on Wednesday that Iraq's political parties have not reached a final agreement to complete Prime Minister Ali al-Zaydi's cabinet, according to a Shafaq News report. Speaking at a press conference in Baghdad, al-Areji said the vacant ministries must be resolved swiftly and asked the Iraqi Parliament's speaker to hold a dedicated session for the file. Al-Areji warned that the coming period is dangerous and called on political blocs to unite. He said the regional conflict between the United States and Iran has negatively affected Iraq's oil exports, energy and service sectors. A source, who spoke to Shafaq News, said political forces that have not yet completed their allotted shares under the electoral quota have formed internal committees to review candidates for the remaining ministries. According to the source, Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law Coalition is reviewing the résumés of six candidates for the Interior Ministry, including former minister Abdulamir al-Shammari and Qaysim Ata. The source added that a local and regional veto exists against Ata, though some parties are pressing to advance his candidacy. The Iraqi Parliament granted confidence to 14 ministers in al-Zaydi's government on May 14, while votes on nine other ministries were postponed over disputes over portfolio shares.