Iraq presidency calls on parliament to convene on Tuesday

The Iraqi Presidency called on the country's newly elected parliament to convene on Tuesday to start the process of the formation of a new government, official television reported on Thursday.
"The Presidency issued a decree calling for the Council of Representatives to convene on Tuesday, July 1," the state-run Iraqiya channel said.
The first session will be chaired by the oldest of the 328 parliament members who were elected on April 30 national polls, the channel said.
On Wednesday, the office of Vice President Khudair al-Khzaie said in a statement that "the Presidency is committed to the political and democratic path of the political process of the country as well as constitutional timing."
The call for the session came amid worsening security conditions that began less than two weeks ago when armed Sunni insurgents launched a surprise offensive that led to the debacle of Iraqi security forces, and loss of a large part of the country' s northern and western territories.