Bahr al-Ulum, from the new government formed after Saddam Hussein was toppled by US-led forces in April, arrived Tuesday in Vienna at the invitation of the OPEC president, who is also Qatar's energy minister.
But Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez was still insisting Tuesday that the Iraqi government should be recognized internationally before being allowed to sit as a full member at a meeting of the cartel.
In an effort to avert an embarrassing snub to Iraq, the cartel held a late-night meeting Tuesday to try to reach an agreement over how the country, one of OPEC's founding members, should be represented at the conference.
Ramirez later confirmed that Venezuela would no longer oppose Iraq's sitting as a full member.***
Following a scuffle between lawmakers in the National Assembly building, opposition Christian Democrat deputy Cesar Perez displayed bleeding scratch marks on his face and accused Chavez ally Iris Varela of having attacked him.
"This vindictive parliamentarian jumped at me," Perez said.
Varela, who earlier exchanged shoves and kicks with Perez, blamed him for starting the fight. "This man is an animal," she said as government and opposition deputies jeered each other.
Parliament leaders suspended the debate, in which opposition lawmakers were contesting government proposals to reform the 20-member Supreme Court by adding 12 more magistrates to be elected by a simple majority in the National Assembly. ***