The Iraqi parliament on Tuesday unanimously approved a new government headed by Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who apparently has appeased the Sunni-backed bloc that bested his own party in the country's March elections.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, one of America's closest allies in the country, has rebuffed the personal request of President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to relinquish his post as Iraqis form a new government in Baghdad.
Four deadly explosions rocked Iraq Monday as political leaders hustled to seal a power-sharing agreement in time for the convening of the country's Parliament.
