Trump’s pressure goes public… Maliki’s fate to be decided Friday night
On Tuesday, an official source within the Coordination Framework revealed details of the meeting of the Coordination Framework leaders, which was held last night at the home of the head of the Supreme Islamic Council, Humam Hamoudi, explaining that it witnessed the absence of both the leader of the Wisdom Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, and the Secretary-General of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Qais al-Khazali.
The source told Shafaq News Agency that “the framework obtained a new extension of the American deadline for withdrawing al-Maliki’s nomination, and the deadline will end next Friday. This was discussed during the meeting, and al-Maliki informed them that he does not intend to withdraw his nomination at all. He told them that the two-thirds who nominated al-Maliki should withdraw his nomination, and he does not object to that. This is the closest thing to the scene in the next few days.”
He added that “the Sunni objection is no longer just from Halbousi, but there is now a Sunni political consensus from all blocs, parties and frameworks. This was officially communicated and discussed during a meeting last night.”
According to the responsible source within the coordination framework, before Friday, that is, before the end of the new and final American deadline, there will be an important and decisive meeting of the coordination framework.
The source concluded by noting that the US Special Envoy to Iraq and Syria, Tom Barrack, clearly conveyed during his meetings in both Baghdad and Erbil the firm and clear US position of rejecting al-Maliki’s nomination for Prime Minister, and outlined what decisions Washington could make if the framework insisted on proceeding with al-Maliki’s nomination.
The issue of deciding on the presidency and the Iranian-American escalation topped the agenda of the coordination framework talks on Monday evening, where the need to finalize the formation of the new government was emphasized, without mentioning the candidate for its leadership, the leader of the State of Law Coalition, Nouri al-Maliki.
Shafaq.com