Shafaq News- Baghdad

Negotiations over the leadership of Iraq's permanent parliamentary committees have been suspended until next week because no political deal has been reached, Thaer Al-Kaabi, a lawmaker from the Al-Nahj Al-Watani, told Shafaq News on Monday.

Bloc leaders remain divided, and parliament's second deputy speaker, who oversees the committee file, is abroad, Al-Kaabi explained. No sessions are scheduled this week, and both the sittings and the negotiations are set to resume next week.

On Oct. 29, blocs submitted nominees for the chairs and deputy chairs of 16 committees, according to a document obtained by Shafaq News, leaving four without agreed candidates: Security and Defense, Foreign Relations, Human Rights, and Border Crossings. Parliament postponed that day's session until further notice after bloc leaders insisted on approving all committee posts as a single package rather than piecemeal.

Parliament amended its internal rules in February to establish 22 standing committees and approved the membership of 11 of them in March, with later proposals to cut the total to 20 through mergers.