Talks between two leading Shiite coalitions on forming a new Iraqi government hit a snag over the post of prime minister, leaders said Thursday.
The State of Law coalition of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is in talks with the Iraqi National Alliance to form a unity bloc that would be four seats short of the majority needed to form a new government.
State of Law lost to the secular Iraqiya slate of former interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi in national elections nearly two months ago.
Sources close to negotiations between Maliki's party and INA said talks broke down because of disputes over the post of prime minister, London's pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat reports.
Khair-Allah al-Basri, a member of State of Law, told the news agency objections to Maliki by lawmakers loyal to Moqtada Sadr were holding up the negotiations.
Basri said that Sadrists were upset over Maliki's crackdown on the Mehdi Army in recent years. Sadrists, he said, needed reassurances that acts of war were over.
Meanwhile, Jalal al-Din al-Saghir with the INA said talks have not yet reached a "dead end" despite the recent "difficulties."
Iraqiya officials, for their part, said developments on a new Iraqi government could emerge as early as next week.