Allawi visits Sistani in Najaf

NAJAF, Iraq, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi traveled to Najaf to visit with the revered Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani to discuss reconstruction progress in Iraq.

Allawi emerged from the meeting saying he supported the cleric's position that national security and reconstruction issues were at the top of the national agenda, Iraq's satellite channel al-Sumaria reported Thursday.

Several political leaders have visited Sistani in the wake of the provincial elections that saw the State of Law coalition of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki emerge victorious in several provinces.

The margin of victory, however, suggested several slates would need to form ruling coalitions on the provincial councils. Allawi, for his part, said he would consider a coalition with al-Mehrab Martyr List, a slate aligned with the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim.

Al-Mehrab Martyr List scored moderately well in the southern provinces, taking just under 15 percent of the vote in Najaf.

Meanwhile, Ammar al-Hakim, the son of Abdul Aziz and vice president of SIIC, met with Deputy Parliament Speaker Khaled Attiya to discuss the vetting process for the vacated parliamentary speaker position.

Iraq has been without a parliamentary speaker since Mahmoud Mashhadani stepped down in December. Lawmakers have postponed considerations for his replacement several times.