Biden presses Baghdad on gov't delays

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- The Iraqi vice president and prime minister are called to act quickly to form a legitimate government, the U.S. vice president said.

Iraqi leaders haven't been able to form new government since former interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi led his Iraqiya slate to a narrow victory in March 7 parliamentary elections.

Allawi said that Iraqi laws give him the right to form a new government first, though his political slate fell well short of the majority needed to form a new government alone.

Various names have surfaced as a possible successor to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, including Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi. Maliki himself is considered for a possible second term.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden spoke separately this week with the vice president and prime minister on the political impasse in Baghdad.

"The vice president urged the two leaders to expedite efforts to form an inclusive and legitimate government that is responsive to the needs of the Iraqi people," Biden's office said in a statement.

Biden told The New York Times in mid-September that there was a "growing awareness" that power sharing in Baghdad was needed "to sort of balance the powers but also provide landing spots for the number of serious people who have to occupy serious ministries."

Allawi, meanwhile, met with senior leaders in Damascus to discuss a way forward for Iraq. Maysoon al-Damluji, the spokeswoman for Iraqiya, said in a statement that talks focused on "finding solutions."