Lawmakers: Maliki agrees to bigger Sunni security role

Iraqi Soldiers from the primarily Shi'ite security forces prepare to enter a Sunni house during a cordon and search operation in Baghdad in April

BAGHDAD – Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki agreed to give Sunnis a bigger role in security operations in their areas, lawmakers said Sunday, in a deal that staves off a threatened Sunni walkout that could have toppled the Shiite leader's embattled government.

The deal reached with Iraq's Sunni vice president could help assuage long-standing Sunni complaints that Shiite-dominated security forces unfairly target Sunni areas but avoid cracking down on Shiite militias linked to influential politicians...

The lawmakers said the deal was reached in talks last week between al-Maliki and Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, who had threatened to withdraw his bloc from the government if Sunni demands were not met. His bloc controls 44 of the 275 parliament seats.

Read the rest at the San Diego Tribune

Related Link:
Stormy Iraqi session condemns security walls, summons Maliki, summarily adjourned before resolution to ban U.S. in Baghdad can be considered

Related Link:
V.P. Hashemi threatens Sunni withdrawal from government on May 15

Related Link:
Largest Sunni block in parliament threatens withdrawal

Related Link:
Report: Overseer office created by Maliki enfocrcing sectarian agenda at defense, interior ministries

Related Link:
'Officials': Maliki office behind sectarian purge of Sunni army, police officers