Nujaifi appeals to lawmakers to end boycotting parliament

Iraqi House Speaker Osama Al-Nujaifi urged his supporters in the parliament -- in a press conference on Saturday -- to abort their boycotting sessions and return to their legislative seats for the benefit of the society, if nothing else. He said by not showing up in the parliament in recent times, these lawmakers have upset the quorum and made it difficult for the parliament to pass the nation's new budget, stressing that if they stayed away much longer important bills would not be passed such those on retirement and social security.Though he understood the reasons behind these lawmakers' boycotting the parliament's sessions, he nevertheless saw in that a disservice to them and to their constituents as well as to the process of democracy. The lawmakers in question recently submitted their resignations from their posts to the house speaker in a bid to protest having the Anbar demonstrations broken up and lawmaker Ahmad Al-Alawani arrested.