Shiite Iraqi prime minister: Sunni-backed rival political bloc must be included in new govt

Iraq PM: Sunni-backed bloc must be in govt

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Shiite prime minister said Friday the Sunni-backed political coalition that is headed by his archrival and won the most seats in last month’s parliamentary election must be included in the country’s new government.

The comments from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in an interview aired Friday, appear to offer an olive branch to former premier Ayad Allawi and his secular Iraqiya bloc as well as the Sunnis who overwhelmingly supported his rival.

Neither bloc won an outright majority in March 7 elections, meaning they must negotiate with other groups for support to form a government and become prime minister.

“The Iraqiya list included the most representatives of Sunnis … so they have to be partners in forming the government,” al-Maliki told the U.S.-funded Alhurra TV station.

He said he hopes the new government will be led by majority rule and “give up the sectarian” influences that would pit Iraq’s Shiite, Sunni, Kurdish and other religious politicians against each other.

“The situation in Iraq has not settled yet,” al-Maliki said. “The government should be a national partnership … all components of Iraqi society must be represented.”

Iraqiya was not appeased, rejecting the statement because it referred to the group as Sunni-dominated.

“We consider the announcement of al-Maliki a negative stand, and not acceptable,” said Iraqiya lawmaker Mohammed al-Timimi. “Our list is not representing the Sunnis only, but all Iraqi components.”

Iraqiya emerged as the biggest vote winner in last month’s elections, winning 91 of the legislature’s 325 seats, edging out al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition by only two seats.

Over the last week, State of Law representatives have been negotiating with leaders of the Shiite Iraqi National Alliance to combine forces and cobble together enough seats to shut Allawi out of power. The INA won 70 seats in parliament.

But the hardline religious Sadrists, who are led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and make up the core of the INA, so far have balked at the notion of aligning with al-Maliki. Al-Maliki split from the Shiite-led political coalition to form his own, in part to appeal to voters across Iraq and not just those who favor a religiously influenced government.

Al-Maliki’s comments also come days after an Iraqiya delegation visited Iran. Iranian state TV later reported that Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani expressed hope that all Iraqi political groups would “participate in the future of Iraq, based on their political weight.”

That likely had a strong influence on al-Maliki as he woos Sadrists in the INA who are sympathetic to Iran.

“Yes, al-Maliki may be pursuing the INA but he’s not excluding anything — and he can’t afford to,” said Joost Hiltermann, an Iraq analyst at the International Crisis Group. “Everybody is calling for an inclusive government, including Iran, Saudi Arabia and the U.S., so he cannot possibly be seen to be saying something different.”

The backdoor dealmaking stems from the election’s inconclusive results that have left Iraq politically rudderless for the last month. U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill predicted last week it could take months more before a new government is seated.

A political bloc needs the support of at least 163 lawmakers in Iraq’s 325-seat parliament to form a majority coalition to govern.

The Sunni minority, which dominated Iraq under Saddam Hussein, was politically targeted days before the election by a Shiite-led vetting panel that purged candidates with alleged ties to Saddam’s Baath party from running on the ballot.

Most Sunnis wound up voting for Allawi, who had the backing of a top Sunni politician, Saleh al-Mutlaq. In all, more than 440 candidates were banned from running — including al-Mutlaq.

Associated Press Writer Saad Abdul-Kadir contributed to this report.