Osama Al-Nujaifi: The View from Baghdad

Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Osama Al-Nujaifi, the speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives and a leading figure in Al-Iraqiya coalition led by Iyad Allawi, was once among the most optimistic of Iraqi leaders and officials about the direction of the country's politics. Asharq Al-Awsat found him to be more pessimistic in its recent interview with him in his Baghdad office. In a wide-ranging interview, he admitted that he feared the return to widespread violence, but struck a defiant tone ...

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Shoe Attack on the Floor of Iraqi Parliament

Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—The approval of Iraq's controversial 2013 budget yesterday was marred by further controversy after a physical altercation broke out between two rival MPs, Asharq Al-Awsat has learnt. The Iraqi parliament concluded its longest legislative session on Thursday with majority approval for the state’s fiscal budget for 2013. However only 168 out of a total 325 MPs were present at the vote following the complete withdrawal of the Kurdistan bloc, and the partial with...

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