US vetoes candidates in Iraqi cabinet formation, complicating Maliki's calculations

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The United States has moved to reshape Iraq's coalition government formation by objecting to several senior nominees, according to people familiar with the matter. The reported interventions have restricted the State of Law Coalition led by Nouri al-Maliki in the cabinet's ministerial allocations. Among the names opposed by Washington is Laith al-Hazali, a figure linked to the political wing of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), whom sources said the US does not want to see appointed as a deputy prime minister. US officials have also objected to the continued tenure of current Communications Minister Mustafa Sand, keeping the possibility of cabinet changes on the table. According to the same accounts, US priorities extend beyond the distribution of portfolios. Washington's central files are the consolidation of weapons under state control and the formal regulation of armed forces' relations with official institutions — issues that are now driving tensions during the cabinet formation process. The government talks have effectively turned into a standoff over competing names and security-related portfolios. No further details were immediately available on which other nominees the US has objected to or how the Iraqi negotiating parties plan to respond.