Maliki hopeful of new Iraqi govt 'soon'
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, in Cairo on a regional tour to rally support for his candidacy, said yesterday his country would "soon" have a new government, seven months after an inconclusive poll.
"Discussions are taking place, we are now at the end of the tunnel, at the end of the road," Maliki told reporters after a meeting with Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak.
"If God allows, this government will emerge soon," said the premier, who flew in to Egypt late on Tuesday after similar visits to neighbouring Syria, Jordan and Iran.
Maliki has been fighting to retain his post after a March 7 general election which produced no clear winner.
His Shiite-led State of Law bloc finished a narrow second behind the Sunni-backed Iraqiya group of former prime minister Iyad Allawi with whom Maliki is locked in a protracted battle for the premiership.
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