BAGHDAD, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Iraq's new interim parliament will hold its first session on Sept. 1, said new member and head of the preparatory committee of the national conference, Fuad Maasum.

    "The new Iraqi national assembly is supposed to hold its first session on Sept. 1. The session will be dedicated to enshrining the rules of the parliament, drawing up a schedule for the sessions and the issues it is to discuss," Maasum told a news conference in Baghdad.

    The 100-seat Iraqi interim parliament, or the National Assembly, is supposed to oversee the current government of Prime Minister Allawi and pave the way for the country's first elections in the coming January. Enditem