Another First for Iraq

Al-Maliki named Iraqi PM

"Nouri al-Maliki has been offered a second term as Iraq's prime minister, and has one month to form a new cabinet and end the eight-month political deadlock.

The naming of al-Maliki by Jalal Talabani, Iraq's president, to another term in office follows the conclusion of a power-sharing deal between the country's divided factions sealed two weeks ago.

"I charge you ... Nouri al-Maliki to form the new government, which we hope will be a real national partnership government which will not exclude any faction," Talabani said at a ceremony at Al-Salam presidential palace in Baghdad on Thursday.

"You have 30 days to form the cabinet."

Since the poll on March 7, Iraq set a new world record for the longest period between an election and a government being formed.

Thursday's formal nomination, delayed to give al-Maliki as much time as possible to negotiate with his political rivals, signals an end to the protracted political battle between Iraq's factions.

Al-Maliki called on the Iraqi people to support the security forces as they fight the insurgent threat, and called for political blocs to present candidates for the cabinet who had "experience, loyalty and integrity".

"The coming government will be committed to reconstruction and providing services," al-Maliki said after his nomination, according to media adviser, Yassin Majid. "It will be a government of partnership, no one will be neglected.""

Good luck Mr. Maliki. You're going to need it. The first thing you'll need to tackle is interference from Iran and Saudi Arabia and the rabid left in the free world. The world will be watching and, remember, a free press is essential to achieving democracy.

Oh. And among those factions are Iraqi Christians. What's left of them. Don't do to them what previous Iraqi governments and your fellow Arabs in other countries did to the Jews.

"It is estimated that 800,000 to 1,000,000 Jews were forced or fled from their homes in the Arab countries from 1948 until the early 1970s; 260,000 reached Israel between 1948–1951, and 600,000 by 1972.

A significant proportion of Jews left due to political insecurity and the rise of Arab nationalism. Almost all were required to sell or abandon their property for state.[3] By 2002 these Jews and their descendants constituted about 40% of Israel's population."