rejects Sunnis' resignations

BAGHDAD, Aug 5 (Reuters) Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has refused to accept the resignations of six Sunni Arab cabinet ministers who quit last week, a source in the prime minister's office said today.

Deputy Prime Minister Salam al-Zobaie and five other ministers from the largest Sunni Arab bloc in parliament, the Accordance Front, triggered a political crisis by announcing their resignations last week.

A senior member of parliament from the Accordance Front said the ministers would still quit, despite Maliki's decision not to accept their resignations.

''We are insisting on our position. For us, the matter does not end with Maliki accepting or rejecting the resignations,'' Salim al-Jibouri told Reuters.

''We are talking about a programme. The issue is if he accepts or refuses to accept our programme,'' referring to the Front's lists of demands that include disbanding Shi'ite militias and giving the bloc a bigger say in security matters.

REUTERS RSA BST536