Shafaq News..CF faces internal dispute over deputy PM posts

Shafaq News- Baghdad

A dispute over proposed deputy prime minister positions has
exposed tensions between former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law
Coalition and Qais al-Khazali’s Sadiqoun Movement within Iraq’s Shiite
Coordination Framework, several sources told Shafaq News on Tuesday.

The dispute emerged during the Framework’s regular meeting
on Monday, attended by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. One source said tensions
rose between the two factions after al-Maliki rejected the proposal to create
deputy prime minister posts.

The disagreement did not prevent the participants from
taking up other issues, including updates from a Framework committee
negotiating with armed factions over bringing weapons under state control. The
talks have made progress, although slowly, according to the source.

The meeting also addressed efforts to complete the cabinet
following the suspension of the deputy prime minister proposal. The positions
had been allocated based on a political entitlement equivalent to 12
parliamentary seats, prompting discussion about a new distribution of cabinet
portfolios if opposition to appointing deputy prime ministers continues.

The session produced no specific decisions, the source
added.

The Coordination Framework met on Monday evening at the
office of former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to discuss several priority
political and legislative issues.

A second source told Shafaq News that influential Framework
figures, including Badr Organization leader Hadi al-Amiri and Al-Hikma Movement
leader Ammar al-Hakim, or their representatives, would meet with other
political figures on Tuesday to ease tensions between State of Law and
Sadiqoun.

The meeting is expected to take place on Tuesday, with the
aim of moderating the rhetoric, ending the political sparring, and resolving
the dispute without affecting ministries held by the State of Law Coalition,
the source added.