Iraqi vice president threatens to veto elections law again

Dec 3, 2009, 13:16 GMT

Baghdad - Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi on Thursday repeated threats to veto an elections law if other Iraqi politicians did not address his concerns by Sunday.

But in a softening of his rhetoric, the vice president stressed that he was open to more talks, and 'open to all options,' provided they give Iraqi Sunni Muslims a greater voice in the new parliament.

Parliamentary elections had been scheduled for January, but the political stand-off has rendered that date impossible, election workers have said.

Iyad al-Samarrai, the speaker of the parliament, has said he now expects elections to take place some time in mid-February or March.

Al-Hashemi, a Sunni Muslim, has refused to sign the law unless displaced Iraqis, most of whom are thought to be Sunnis, and predominantly Sunni provinces are given greater representation in the new parliament.

The deadline for al-Hashemi to make a decision on the law had initially been set for Thursday, but was extended until Sunday because of the time missed for the Eid al-Adha holiday.

After his first veto in November, Kurdish and Shiite lawmakers approved a new version of the law that Sunni lawmakers said would reduce the number of seats in predominantly Sunni provinces.

The United States and the United Nations, eager for elections to take place on time with the acquiescence of all parties, have proposed various compromise solutions, none of which has yet succeeded in ending the deadlock.

The United States had said it planned to begin withdrawing its combat troops from the country after the elections, provided the country remained calm roughly two months after they take place.