Deadly Bombs Rock Iraq as New Cabinet Meets

Deadly bombs rock Iraq as new cabinet meets
Sun May 21, 9:56 AM ET

At least 20 people were killed in insurgent violence, 13 of them in a Baghdad restaurant bombing, as Iraq's new national unity government met on its first full day in office.

Another 18 people were wounded when the blast ripped through the crowded diner in the upmarket Karrada district, highlighting the importance of plans set out by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki for a special security force for the capital.

"We have a plan, we agreed on this plan even before this meeting, this plan will start with protecting Baghdad," Maliki said Sunday. "We will form special new force to secure Baghdad."

But the prime minister stressed that the 37-member cabinet finally approved by MPs on Saturday after more than five months of coalition talks would need to do more than resort to strong-arm tactics if it were to rein in the insurgency raging in Sunni areas.

"We have to make extraordinary efforts because we suffer from terrorism and security problems and we have administrative and financial corruption," Maliki said.

"We cannot confront terrorism only by using force, we need other measures besides security, we need national reconciliation.

"We have a new plan of reconciliation for Iraq to restore trust."

The government is still without ministers of defence, interior or national security because of continuing disputes over who should be appointed but Maliki said he expected the positions to be filled soon.

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