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BAGHDAD, Iraq -
Leaders of Iraq's main political blocs began a round
of marathon meetings Tuesday with the U.S.
ambassador in an attempt to reach agreement on a
broad-based government.
Adbul-Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the main Shiite bloc,
hosted the meeting, which was also attended by
Kurdish, Sunni and secular leaders.
Iraq has been headed by a caretaker government since
Dec. 15 parliamentary elections, and officials fear
the vacuum in authority has contributed to surges of
sectarian killing.
The new parliament is scheduled to meet for the
first time Thursday, setting in motion a 60-day
deadline for the legislature to elect a new
president, approve the nomination of a prime
minister and sign off on his Cabinet.
Leaders of the main ethnic and religious blocs,
however, have been unable to agree on key issues,
including how many positions various groups will
have in the government, who will fill key posts and
the government's program of action.
Among the most contentious is Shiite Prime Minister
Ibrahim al-Jaafari's candidacy for a second term.
Kurdish, Sunni and some secular leaders argue he is
too divisive a figure and accuse him of doing too
little to contain a wave of reprisal violence
triggered by the Feb. 22 bombing of a revered Shiite
shrine in Samarra.
The Shiite United Iraqi Alliance is itself divided
over al-Jaafari. He won the nomination by just one
vote last month in large part because of the support
of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Al-Hakim
favored Adil Abdul-Mahdi, one of two current vice
presidents.
The stakes are high for the United States, which
hopes the formation of an inclusive government would
help stabilize Iraq so U.S. forces can start drawing
down in the summer.
U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad has been shuttling
between the main Iraqi factions in a bid to
reinvigorate negotiations that have dragged on for
nearly three months.
Leaders of the main blocs agreed at a meeting with
Khalilzad on Sunday to move parliament's inaugural
session forward by three days in part to show their
resolve to break the deadlock.
Also present at Tuesday's meeting were President
Jalal Talabani and Massoud Barzani, leaders of the
main Kurdish parties; Dhafir al-Ani, an official
with the main Sunni bloc; and former Prime Minister
Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite.
AP
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