Iraq parliament could convene soon

BAGHDAD, Apr 9 (Reuters) Iraq's acting speaker of parliament said today he would call on the assembly to convene in the next few days, raising the possibility that political deadlock over a new prime minister may be broken.

''The Iraqi people are impatiently waiting for this issue to be resolved. When the parliament convenes it will be possible to start the steps to form a national unity government,'' Adnan Pachachi told a news conference.

His announcement was the first public sign of a possible step forward for Shi'ite, Kurdish and Sunni leaders who are struggling to form a unity government they hope can avert sectarian civil war.

The United States and Britain have stepped up pressure on Iraqi leaders to form a government as soon as possible, stressing that the political vacuum would play into the hands of the Sunni Arab insurgency and fuel sectarian bloodshed.

But there are no signs that will happen soon as Iraqis contemplate their difficult plight three years after the fall of Baghdad.

Pachachi did not say whether the assembly would vote on a prime minister and there was no suggestion that Ibrahim al- Jaafari would finally agree to widespread calls for him to step aside as the main Shi'ite Alliance's nominee.

But some politicians believe taking the prime minister issue to parliament for a vote is the only way to break the impasse.

The problem is that Jaafari's ruling Shi'ite Alliance, which is already deeply divided, risks an internal crisis if it agrees to a vote in parliament.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw conceded that there was a ''high level of slaughter'' in Iraq but said the country had not descended into civil war.

Speaking to BBC television, he reiterated his concern over the political paralysis.

''It's very frustrating because the leaders are taking far too long to form this government which we've elected, well the parliament was elected, on December 15th, almost four months ago,'' he said today.

MUBARAK CAUSES TENSIONS

His comments came after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak offered a grim assessment of Iraq, saying that civil war had started. The Iraqi government, eager to project an image of unity, criticised Mubarak today.

''It's a stab in their patriotism and civilisation (of Iraq's Shi'ites) even if it was unintended,'' Jaafari said, reading from a government statement.

Mubarak said in his comments, broadcast on al Arabiya satellite channel yesterday, that Shi'ites in Arab states were more loyal to Iran than their own countries, echoing accusations by Iraqi Sunnis about their own Shi'ite leaders.

The diplomatic tensions came after three consecutive days of bombings on Shi'ite targets killed about 100 people in Iraq, which is 60 per cent Shi'ite.

The raging violence highlighted instability on the third anniversary of the US capture of Baghdad, which was symbolised by the giant statue of Saddam Hussein being dragged down in Firdos (paradise) square.

These days the square is protected by blast walls.

''When I heard the Americans ripped down the statue of Saddam I was happy because I thought we were finished with his stupid wars,'' said traffic policeman Ali Jabar, 34.

''But If I knew that I would lose my younger brother to a car bomb, I would have preferred to stay under Saddam's rule.'' Sectarian violence has been on the rise since the bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in February touched off reprisals and pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war.

Progress on the political front rests in the hands of the Shi'ite Alliance, whose leaders were in talks today on how they will proceed on the issue of Jaafari.

As the biggest bloc in parliament, the Alliance has the constitutional right to nominate a prime minister. It needs a simple majority to push through its candidate.

''The chances of Jaafari staying are getting slim,'' said a senior Alliance source. But not all Alliance officials support that view, underscoring the bloc's divisions.

In Berlin, authorities were examining a video connected with the two German hostages held captive in Iraq, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry said today.

Al Jazeera television aired a brief portion of the tape of Rene Braeunlich and Thomas Nitzschke, who were abducted on January 24. One of the men spoke but his voice could not be heard.

Weekly magazine Der Spiegel reported on its Web site that one of the men said in German: ''We have been here for more than 60 days. We are at the end of our nerves. Please help us. We cannot bear this any longer. Please help us.''

REUTERS