Maliki calls emergency political summit for crisis talks

Above: The major players -- Nuri al-Maliki (Prime Minister, Shiite), Tariq al-Hashemi (one of two Vice Presidents, Sunni), Moqtada al-Sadr ('fiery' anti-American cleric, Shiite), Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim (head of the largest Shiite coalition), Jalal Talabani (President of Iraq, Kurd, Qadiri Sufi sect of Sunnism), and Massoud Barzani (President of Iraqi Kurdistan, Naqshbandi Sufi sect of Sunnisim). The largest Sunni bloc recently returned to parliament after Mahmud Mashhadani was reinstated as speaker, but has withdrawn its cabinet ministers from Maliki's cabinet. Sadr's parliamentary bloc also returned recently to the legislature following a protest of the most recent bombing of the al-Askari shrine in Samarra, but also withdrew from the cabinet in April. The U.S. military has said that Sadr is back in Iran, which Sadr's aides deny. Not pictured is former Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, whose smaller Sunni bloc is boycotting cabinet meetings.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called Sunday for the senior leaders from Iraq's bitterly divided communities to hold crisis talks aimed at saving his beleaguered national unity government.

"I have invited major political leaders to a meeting to discuss substantial matters," said Maliki in a televised speech...

Hopes that his so-called unity coalition can be saved now depend on the senior leadership of the rival parties cutting a new power-sharing deal that can convince the bitter Sunni minority to return to the fold.

Maliki, President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, and Vice President Adel Abdel Mehdi, another Shiite, are expected to attend the crisis summit.

Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, the senior Sunni Arab in the government and a critic of Maliki's alleged sectarian bias whose presence would be considered crucial, has not yet made it clear whether he will attend.

Read the rest at Yahoo News

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