Iraq's highest court today ordered parliament to resume its sessions despite a deadlock among politicians who have failed to agree on the formation of a government seven months after an inconclusive election.
The ruling may pressure Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish factions to speed up efforts to reach a deal, but it does not mean an immediate end when parliament reconvenes to an impasse that has stoked tensions just as Iraq emerges from the worst of the war.
Parliament's temporary speaker, Fouad Masoum, said he expected to set a date for the session within days.
"I think that this decision will accelerate the government formation," he told reporters.
"When I receive the court's ruling, I will call on all parliamentary blocs to sit down and discuss a date for the session. At the session there should be a consensus among them."
The deadlock has mainly pitted incumbent Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki against a bloc heavily backed by Iraq's once dominant minority Sunnis. US officials fear any deal that sidelines Sunnis could reinvigorate a weakened but stubborn insurgency that still kills dozens every month.
Parliament met briefly in June but lawmakers left the first session open, saying they needed more time to decide who will hold the nation's highest offices.
Agencies