 Fouad Massum, former speaker of the Interim Parliament and leading member of the Kurdish Alliance, checks the seats of the Transitional National Assembly. The assembly held its first session on Wednesday without taking a vote on a new government after the parties involved -- mainly the Kurdish parties and the Unified Iraqi Alliance -- failed to reach an agreement on its make-up (photo: AP) parent page (17 - 23 March 2005, issue #734) |