Prominent Kurdish MP meets al-Sistani over govt deadlock

Описание: (5 Mar 2006)
1. Various of bodyguards
2. Iraqi Minister of planning Barham Saleh and Kurdish politician coming out of the house of top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani
3. Cutaway reporters
4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Barham Saleh, Iraq's Minister of planning and Kurdish politician:
"He (Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani) listened to us carefully. And we offered to him good evidence and proof about it (why Shiite alliance should change their support for Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari). He (al-Sistani) also advised us to continue consultations and talks with all Iraqi factions. Al-Sistani also confirmed the necessity of keeping the unity of the Shiite alliance.''
5. Cutaway reporters
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Barham Saleh, Iraq's Minister of planning and Kurdish politician:
"We call on the alliance (the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance) to reconsider the nomination of the Prime Minister in order to be able to form a cabinet that will be able to tackle Iraq's problems.''
7. Various of Saleh heading to his car
8. Saleh driving away with police officers lined up
9. Car driving away with holy shrine Imam Ali in background
STORYLINE:
Prominent Kurdish politician Barham Saleh met with Iraq's supreme Shiite spiritual leader Ali al-Sistani on Sunday in Najaf to discuss a deadlock in the government.
Saleh, who is the Iraqi Minister of planning, called upon the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance to reconsider the nomination of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari for second term of four years.
After the meeting Saleh said outside al-Sistani's home that "He listened to us carefully. And we offered to him good evidence and proof."
He said al-Sistani advised him to continue consultations and talks with all Iraqi factions, and to keep "the unity of the Shiite alliance.''
Saleh called on the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance to reconsider al-Jaafari's nomination so that they could "form a cabinet that will be able to tackle Iraq's problems."
A senior al-Sistani aide, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the dispute on Saturday, said the spiritual leader had indirectly suggested that al-Jaafari should step aside.
Iraq's Kurdish president, Jalal Talabani, on Saturday joined Sunni Arabs and secular politicians in trying to block the Shiite Muslim prime minister from a second term.
Opponents say al-Jaafari has become a divisive figure in the government.
The move against al-Jaafari has opened a political battle that further complicates efforts to form a national unity government in Iraq.
In December parliamentary elections the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance won the largest bloc of seats in the 275-member parliament, giving it the right to name the prime minister.

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