Iraq parliament discusses speaker in closed session

BAGHDAD, May 28 (Reuters) The Iraqi parliament went into closed session today to discuss a demand by Kurdish and Shi'ite blocs to curb the powers of the Sunni speaker, parliamentary sources said.

The move highlights the continued power struggle between Iraqi factions, despite last week's formation of a national unity government that includes the main religious and ethnic groups.

The sources said Shi'ite and Kurdish parties wanted parliament to decide on a rule obliging Speaker Mahmoud al- Mashhadani to consult his Shi'ite and Kurdish deputies before taking any decisions.

Sunni deputies fiercely oppose the proposal, they added.

''The session is closed because they wanted parliament to discuss the speaker's powers but they did not want it to be in public,'' one parliamentary source told Reuters.

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