"Leading Shiite politicians say they have finally brokered a deal with Kurdish parties to end a debilitating impasse over the formation of Iraq's new government.

They said on Tuesday that Iraq's new parliament, which held its largely ceremonial inaugural session last week, would reconvene on Saturday to try to form a coalition administration.

"We have agreed on almost everything, and expect to present an agreement on a government of national unity to parliament by the end of the week," said Jawad al-Maliki, a senior aide to Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the prime minister in waiting."
Assyrian International News Agency