Iraqi PM Rejects Call to Step Aside
Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said in an interview with a British newspaper published Wednesday that he was refusing to abandon his bid for a second term to break the deadlock over a new government, and some Iraqi leaders said parliament may have to decide his future. However, Shiite officials said they are reluctant to dump the issue on parliament until there is a comprehensive deal among all ethnic- and religious-based parties, including an agreement on who will be the new president. Full Story