Sunnis to get six cabinet posts in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- The new government in Iraq reportedly will offer the Sunni Arabs six cabinet posts or the same number they held in the 36-member interim government.

The Shiites who won a plurality in last month's parliamentary elections as per preliminary results will ensure "there will be no government without the inclusion of the Sunnis," National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie told the Washington Times in an interview.

The preliminary results show the Sunni-led parties won 18 percent of the vote which are expected to remain largely unchanged when final results are announced later this week, the report said.

Inclusion of the Sunnis in the new government is seen as crucial to quelling the Sunni-led insurgency plaguing the country.

Al-Rubaie said it had not been decided whether the Sunnis would be allocated one of the two crucial security positions -- interior minister or defense minister. The Sunnis are not likely to be satisfied with six cabinet posts, the Times said..