Violence rages; Iraq braces for tough talks - Turkish Daily News
BAGHDAD - AFP and APIraqi parties on Saturday geared up for the start of tough negotiations on forming a national unity government after rebels launched concerted attacks in western Iraq to coincide with the release of election results.
At least eight Iraqis, including an army major and a group of butchers, were killed on Saturday in a spate of bombings and shootings across Iraq. Britain announced the death of one of its nationals in a roadside bombing.
Initial reports suggest the negotiations for the new government will revolve around how broadly-based the conservative Shiite United Iraqi Alliance, which holds the largest bloc of seats in the new parliament, wants the government to be.
The Alliance as well as other parties have already indicated they will take advantage of the mandated 48-hour period to appeal the results of the December elections, with many saying their party was not awarded sufficient seats in the new parliament.
The elections were marked by voting along ethnic and sectarian lines, with the ruling Shiite religious-based United Iraqi Alliance, which includes Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari's Dawa Party and Abdel Aziz Hakim's Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, winning 128 of parliament's 275 seats.
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