News 2005

Iraq May Choose New VP amidst Continued Violence
April 5, 2005

By Prensa Latina:

Baghdad, April 5 (Prensa Latina) Iraqi Parliament could meet Wednesday to elect one of the two vice presidents that will be part of the leadership of this Arab country, occupied by the US since April 2003, official sources announced.

Iraqi deputies met in Baghdad on Monday, but they failed to elect the new vice president, ending the gathering with strong arguments and disagreements in the heart of the National Assembly.

The Iraqi parliament has so far appointed as parliamentary speaker the Arab Sunni interim government industry minister Hacim Al-Hassani.

Former nuclear scientist Shiite Hussein Al-Shehristani and Kurdish leader Arif Tayfur were elected as deputy speakers. Al Hassani received 215, Al-Shehristani 157 and Tayfur 96 votes in
the secret ballot.

Meanwhile, insurgents killed in Hilla a member of the Babil provincial council, Salim Hilal, as he was heading to work, police spokesman Capt. Muthana Khalid said.

A report from Diala provincial police department acknowledged that rebels wounded a government translator and killed her father in a drive-by shooting in the central city of Baqouba.

Also Monday, the US military said prisoners at Camp Bucca, Iraq"s largest detention facility with about 6,000 prisoners, clashed with guards because they were angry that the prison was transferring several detainees deemed unruly by authorities.

The prisoners hurled rocks and set tents on fire in a disturbance Friday that injured four guards and 12 detainees, the military said.

Authorities said the injuries were minor. The Friday protest was the first of at least three conflicts at Iraqi prisons during the past four days.

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