Al-Askari: UIA Insists on Holding Interior or Defence Ministry
Al-Bayan is issued four times weekly by the Islamic Da'wa Party, chaired by prime minister Ibrahim al-Ja'fari.
United Iraqi Alliance MP Sami al-Askari said the United Iraqi Alliance will ask to lead either the ministry of interior or defence and will not relinquish (both posts) even if there is pressure from other slates. (Sunni Arab politicians want to hold at least one security post. They accuse the outgoing Shia government of using the interior ministry to randomly arrest and torture Sunnis.) He said the ministerial posts would be divided based on the election results and said the alliance will request many posts because it is the biggest slate in the parliament. He said the UIA welcomes the idea of having a woman hold a deputy prime minister post regardless of her slate.
