US Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski has increased her visits to PM-designate Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani, President Abdul-Latif Rashid and Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi to discuss the formation of the government.
Informed political sources said that the ambassador was “keen that the political parties succeed in forming the cabinet without delay.”
The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Romanowski has emphasized during her meeting with Al-Sudani the necessity to form a government that “contributes to restoring security and political stability in the country,” noting that it was essential to “benefit from the experience of previous governments, because failure this time will have serious repercussions on Iraq.”
Iraqi leaders tried to reassure the US ambassador in Baghdad that the new government would maintain its strategic relations with Washington, as reported by an official in Al-Fateh Alliance.
Al-Sudani also told the German ambassador to Iraq, Martin Jaeger, that his prospective government would seek to “build balanced relations with its regional and international surroundings.”
A source close to the prime minister-designate told Asharq Al-Awsat that the cabinet line-up would be “a mixture of party figures, independents and technocrats.”
The sources added that Al-Sudani would not face obstacles in choosing the ministers, because the affiliated parties presented him with many possible candidates. The source explained that the premier-designate had asked the party leaders to overcome the political and administrative obstacles in order to form the government as soon as possible.
The “Will of the State” coalition, which includes the Coordination Framework, the Sovereignty Coalition and the Kurdish forces, announced earlier that it had set next Saturday as a date for voting on the new government.
However, a source from the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance told Asharq Al-Awsat that the date could be postponed for a few days because Al-Sudani received only the candidates of the Shiite parties and was waiting for the lists of ministers from the rest of the allies.
Rashid received Al-Sudani on Wednesday. “The two sides stressed the importance of unifying national ranks and working to form a new government that would challenges,” read a statement by the president’s media office.
