Iraqi PM Al-Maliki Tells Parliament To Cancel Vacation
I congratulate PM Al-Maliki on this statement. He seems to be one of the few there with any common sense. With only half the benchmarks met, it's ridiculous they are considering taking vacation for the entire month of August. All because it's too hot. The Iraqi gov't needs to be told that for every day they take off, is a day our troops can kick back and relax.
BAGHDAD — Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, meanwhile, urged parliament to cancel its summer break or at least limit it to two weeks, expressing frustration over the failure to pass key legislation aimed at promoting reconciliation and stemming support for the violence.
Al-Maliki's office said the Shiite leader "hoped that the parliament would cancel its summer vacation or limit it to a fortnight to help the government solve the pending issues on top of which was the vacant ministerial posts."
Al-Maliki discussed the failure to pass many draft laws during a meeting Saturday with U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and presidential adviser Meghan O'Sullivan, according to his office.
Indicating a tough road ahead regardless of the assembly's vacation plans, an influential Shiite politician rejected calls for a law that would let former members of Saddam Hussein's ruling party return to government jobs — one of the so-called benchmarks demanded by Washington.
