IRAQI LAWMAKERS APPROVE AN OUTLINE FOR POWER SHARING
Ayad Allawi
A day after one of Iraq's leading politicians declared on television that power sharing was dead  the nation's fractious parties met Saturday in a tranquil session of parliament  where they approved an outline for forming a partnership government. The session proceeded even though the politician  Ayad Allawi  had announced that his bloc would not participate in the government.
 Allawi  a former prime minister whose bloc won the most seats in Iraq's elections in March  did not attend the session or make any public remarks. Members of his bloc said he was in London.
 Leaders from all parties  including Allawi's bloc  Iraqiya  met behind closed doors during the session. Meanwhile  inside parliament's grand hall  which two days earlier had been the scene of a turbulent walkout by Allawi's bloc  lawmakers reaffirmed their commitment to a strained agreement that would return Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to office for a second term.
 For eight months  Allawi said he would not participate in any government led by al-Maliki  before finally agreeing to a pact to form an inclusive government. In Thursday's session  he led a walkout when other parties voted against addressing Iraqiya's demands for power sharing  which include a newly created position for Allawi and an agreement to allow the return of three Iraqiya members who had been banned from parliament because of their previous association with Saddam Hussein's Baath Party.
 The walkout and Allawi's remarks on CNN threatened to scuttle a pact that had taken months to forge  with pressure from high-level U.S. officials  including President Barack Obama.
 But while Allawi stayed away  members of his bloc took part in Saturday's session and declared that the agreement was still in place.
 If Allawi follows through on his vow not to participate in the government  Iraqiya will be under extreme pressure not to join him in his boycott. Members of the bloc would not say whether they would follow him.
A day after one of Iraq's leading politicians declared on television that power sharing was dead  the nation's fractious parties met Saturday in a tranquil session of parliament  where they approved an outline for forming a partnership government. The session proceeded even though the politician  [TGT]  had announced that his bloc would not participate in the government.
 Allawi  a former prime minister whose bloc won the most seats in Iraq's elections in March  did not attend the session or make any public remarks. Members of his bloc said he was in London.
 Leaders from all parties  including Allawi's bloc  Iraqiya  met behind closed doors during the session. Meanwhile  inside parliament's grand hall  which two days earlier had been the scene of a turbulent walkout by Allawi's bloc  lawmakers reaffirmed their commitment to a strained agreement that would return Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to office for a second term.
 For eight months  Allawi said he would not participate in any government led by al-Maliki  before finally agreeing to a pact to form an inclusive government. In Thursday's session  he led a walkout when other parties voted against addressing Iraqiya's demands for power sharing  which include a newly created position for Allawi and an agreement to allow the return of three Iraqiya members who had been banned from parliament because of their previous association with Saddam Hussein's Baath Party.
 The walkout and Allawi's remarks on CNN threatened to scuttle a pact that had taken months to forge  with pressure from high-level U.S. officials  including President Barack Obama.
 But while Allawi stayed away  members of his bloc took part in Saturday's session and declared that the agreement was still in place.
 If Allawi follows through on his vow not to participate in the government  Iraqiya will be under extreme pressure not to join him in his boycott. Members of the bloc would not say whether they would follow him.