Hashemi meets with Sistani over '25 principles'

.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 The largest Sunni bloc recently returned to parliament after Mahmud Mashhadani was reinstated as speaker, but has withdrawn its cabinet ministers from Maliki's cabinet.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 withdrew from Maliki's cabinet in April and withdrew from the largest Shiite coalition this month. Sadr recently announced a suspension of militia activies by his Mahdi Army following clashes in Karbala which left over 50 dead. Maliki recently announced a new coalition involving al-Hakim and Talabani, but noticeably lacking Sunnis. Not pictured: Ayad Allawi, former interim Prime Minister of Iraq prior to the 2005 legislative elections, who has been maneuvering behind the scenes to replace Maliki.

Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric meets Sunni leader

Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani met the country's Sunni vice president on Thursday for the first time to discuss a new initiative aimed at uniting feuding politicians.

Deep sectarian rifts in Iraq have stymied decision making and hampered progress on key laws that Washington wants passed to help reconciliation between warring majority Shi'ites and minority Sunni Arabs.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has lost around a dozen Sunni and Shi'ite Arab ministers from his cabinet and has been left relying on a coalition of Kurdish parties in parliament...

The Iraqi National Compact is a set of 25 political principles unveiled by Hashemi's party on Wednesday aimed at removing deep mistrust among politicians.

Read the rest at Reuters/Alternet

Iraq's Sunni VP meets top Shiite cleric

"He generally blesses the initiative," Hashemi said, saying he found Sistani politically "neutral" and eager to promote national unity.

Sistani has played a key role in shaping the political future of Iraq following the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime and wields considerable influence over Shiite politicians and their followers.

Hashemi's blueprint appears to be, at least in part, an attempt to enhance his reputation as a national statesman and project an image of moderation for his Iraqi Islamic Party and the three-party alliance — the Iraq Accordance Front.

He has in recent weeks been reaching out to the once-dominant Sunni Arab community in what appears to be an attempt to broaden his base of support.

Read the rest at USA Today

Sistani speaks of 'pain' in first talks with Iraqi VP

The spiritual head of Iraqi Shiites, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, expressed "pain" on Thursday at the violence in Iraq during a first meeting with the Sunni vice president, the latter said.

"I found (Sistani) has good knowledge of all the issues Iraqis are suffering from," Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi told reporters after their talks in the holy city of Najaf, south of Baghdad.

"He told me, 'my heart is burning from the pain of the troubles in Iraq'," the vice president said...

"I found he cares very much for Iraq and all Iraqis. From now on I will inform (Sistani) about everything happening in my office... I found he has good knowledge and knows everything that is going on in Iraq," Hashemi said.

Read the rest at Africa Asia News

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