Iraq Parliament Reverses Decision, Will Meet Sunday

Had Previously Put Off Another Meeting Until August 12

Faced with growing criticism after an announcement yesterday that they were not planning to even try another meeting this month, and would hold their next session August 12, Iraqi parliament has reversed course, and now promises to meet this upcoming Sunday.

Last week’s session was the first for the parliament since the election, and lasted less than 20 minutes before a walkout by Sunni Arabs and Kurdish MPs meant there was no longer a quorum.

They had initially planned to meet this week, but over the weekend it was revealed that talks on a new parliament speaker had not been resolved, and that they were putting the matter off.

With the growing ISIS war leaving the Islamist forces on the outskirts of Baghdad, time seems to be of the essence for parliament to meet while they still have a building to meet in. Still, if the MPs have not come any closer to an agreement on a speaker by Sunday, there is little reason to believe the meeting will be any more successful than last week’s.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.