Iraqi lawmakers elected Sunni Arab politician Hachim al-Hasani as speaker for the National Assembly (parliament) on Sunday, marking the first step toward forming a new government after months of deadlock.

With the absence of 43 legislators including outgoing Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, the newly elected parliament convened for the third time on Sunday more than two months after the Jan. 30 elections.

Lawmakers voted in a secret ballot on five candidates nominated by different sectarian blocs and Hasani garnered 215 votes which enabled him to get the post.

Hussein al-Shahristani, a Shiite nuclear scientist, got 157 votes and became the first deputy speaker and Aref Tayfur, a Kurd, became the second deputy with 96 votes.

The expected result came after the winning Shiite list issued an ultimatum for the Sunni lawmakers to accept Hasani, the incumbent minister of industry.

Sunni politicians previously preferred to nominate Meshaan al-Jubouri to take the post but had to have his name withdrawn as a compromise to the complain about his link to the toppled Saddam Hussein regime.

"It was the desire by all the different parties and groups," Hasani told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting, hinting that some MPs had to "make some sacrifice."

"It is the first time we have an elected parliament and choose someone to that position," he stressed.

The 51-year-old Sunni Arab said the priority of the assembly was to draft the permanent constitution, restore security and rebuild the economy.

The parliament ended its second session last week but failed to agree on the three posts and the prolonged horse-trading has fueled anger among Iraqis.

Iraqi voters who had braved suicide attacks on Jan. 30 to go to polling stations were disappointed by the failure to form a new government.

Despite the appointment of the speaker, the parliament will still have to debate over the candidacy for the presidency and the lineup of the cabinet.

"We don't believe it will take long," said Shahristani, adding that the parliament will reconvene on Wednesday to elect the president and his two deputies, called the presidential council.

The Shiite alliance was consulting with all the groups that had nominated presidential candidates to see which of them "has wider support within the Sunni community," he added.

It was widely expected that Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, would take the post whereas a Shiite and a Sunni would be the two vice presidents.

Though the winning Shiite and Kurdish blocs were locked in political haggling, both have reached out to Sunnis in an effort to form a national unity government that can deal with tough challenges in the largely volatile Sunni areas.

Most Sunnis stayed away from the Jan. 30 polls due to a boycott call and death threats from the insurgents.

Insurgence surged on the ground. Militants pounded the infamous Abu Ghraib prison by car bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds on early Sunday, wounding 44 US service members and 12 detainees.

An explosion took place near the Green Zone where the parliament session was held and smoke could be seen rising over the Foreign Ministry not far from the convention center.

There was no report of casualty from the blast, apparently caused by a mortar attack.

(Xinhua News Agency April 4, 2005)