Iraq's Sunni V.P. wants return to government

BAGHDAD -- Iraq's Sunni Arab vice president on Saturday called the return of his boycotting political bloc to the Shiite-led Cabinet a priority, saying the government needs to reconcile quickly to "save Iraq."

Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi's comments were the latest to signal readiness by the main Sunni bloc, the National Accordance Front, to rejoin the government after an absence of nearly nine months.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also said Friday that he expected to present a new Cabinet list "within a few days" -- a step that would be a boost to his government and seen by Washington as a significant step forward.

But while the two sides have said they were prepared to join forces for more than a week, internal power struggles within the National Accordance Front have delayed a formal announcement, according to a Sunni official familiar with the negotiations.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said disagreements were focused on who should hold which posts.

The Planning Ministry is currently headed by Ali Baban, who was expelled by the bloc after he broke ranks and agreed to return to his post. Some Front members want to take another ministry portfolio instead of being forced to accept Baban back into the fold, the official said.

Two of the three parties that comprise the bloc also are arguing over who should hold the deputy prime minister's post allotted to them, he added.

Al-Hashemi's support for a return to the government, which was announced in a statement by his office, was significant.

The Sunni leader has been one of al-Maliki's most bitter critics, accusing him of sectarian favoritism, while the prime minister has complained that the vice president is blocking key legislation.

But al-Hashemi and other Sunni leaders apparently have been swayed by al-Maliki's crackdown against Shiite militias that began late last month and focused on the feared Mahdi Army of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Al-Maliki also has threatened to politically isolate al-Sadr if the Mahdi Army is not disbanded.

Shiite militias were responsible for the deaths of thousands of Sunni Arabs in the sectarian bloodletting of 2006 and 2007. The Mahdi Army is blamed for much of the killing.

Last week, several Sunni lawmakers said their bloc had agreed in principle to return to the government, although no formal announcement has been made.

"The priority today should be given to re-establishing a national government with a clear political program, and to deal with the basic issues regarding services," al-Hashemi said.

"This country needs patriotic stances by parties, one of which is to re-establish a national government as soon as possible so that this new government can take quick important steps in order to save Iraq," he added.