Iraq's acting speaker of parliament said on Sunday he would call on the assembly to convene in the next few days, raising the possibility that political deadlock over a new prime minister may be broken.
"The Iraqi people are impatiently waiting for this issue to be resolved. When the parliament convenes it will be possible to start the steps to form a national unity government," Adnan Pachachi told a news conference. His announcement was the first public sign of a possible step forward for Shia , Kurdish and Sunni leaders who are struggling to form a unity government they hope can avert sectarian civil war.
The United States and Britain have stepped up pressure on Iraqi leaders to form a government as soon as possible, stressing that the political vacuum would play into the hands of the Sunni Arab insurgency and fuel sectarian bloodshed.
But there are no signs that will happen soon as Iraqis contemplate their difficult plight three years after the fall of Baghdad.
Pachachi did not say whether the assembly would vote on a prime minister and there was no suggestion that Ibrahim al- Jaafari would finally agree to widespread calls for him to step aside as the main Shia Alliance's nominee. But some politicians believe taking the prime minister issue to parliament for a vote is the only way to break the impasse.
The problem is that Jaafari's ruling Shia Alliance, which is already deeply divided, risks an internal crisis if it agrees to a vote in parliament.