Reply #1: Iraq parliament to debate federal break-up

[bemildred]

BAGHDAD (AFP) -
Iraq's parliament has reopened after a month-long recess marred by mounting sectarian violence, with deputies expected to discuss breaking up the country into semi-independent regions.

At the top of the agenda was the controversial issue of whether to allow Iraq's provinces to merge into larger autonomous regions, a move which some Sunni Arab lawmakers fear could tear the country apart.

Other groups, however, strongly support a plan which would create virtually independent zones in the oil-rich Shiite south and Kurdish north, and leave Sunni Arabs economically isolated in the barren western desert.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's coalition government struggled to unite Iraq's warring factions and end the persistent bloodshed, which saw 20 Iraqis killed on Tuesday in attacks around the country.

Yahoo