Turkish army denies using chemical weapons against Kurds

Iraq: Agreement to leave the selection of candidates for ministerial positions to the prime minister

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudani.

Reuters

The Iraqi Prime Minister-designate, Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, said yesterday that the political blocs agreed to put forward their candidates to form the new government, leaving the choice to the prime minister.

Al-Sudani said in a press statement distributed yesterday morning, “We affirm that the agreement between the political blocs that make up the coordination framework includes giving the opportunity for each bloc to present its candidates to all ministries, and the matter of choosing the candidates is left to the person of the Prime Minister-designate.”

He added that the criteria for naming a candidate to fill the ministerial portfolio are based on "efficiency, integrity, and the ability to manage the ministry, according to the electoral weights of each bloc."

And political sources had stated earlier that the cabinet line-up that will be presented in the Iraqi parliament session for approval today, Saturday, will include 12 ministerial portfolios for the Shiite coordination framework forces, six ministries for the coalition of Iraqi Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi, and four for the Kurdistan Democratic Party, as well as a number of Ministerial portfolios for Christians, Turkmen and other minorities.

The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, announced a boycott of participation in the next government, while the head of the National Wisdom Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, the New Generation Movement, and the Extension bloc announced not to participate in the next government.

In Turkey, NTV channel yesterday quoted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying that the Turkish armed forces have never used chemical weapons in northern Iraq, and that they abide by international law.

This week, media close to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) published videos that it said showed the Turkish army's use of chemical weapons against the party in northern Iraq.

The channel reported that Erdogan told reporters on his plane returning from a visit to Azerbaijan, "Our armed forces have not resorted to the use of chemical weapons to this day."

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news