Iraqi political leaders began a series of talks today that could break an eight month deadlock over forming a new government and assure Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of a second term.
The aim of the meetings, the first of which was hosted by Kurdish regional president Masoud Barzani in the Kurdish capital Arbil, was to agree on a government of national unity including Shias, Sunnis and Kurds before a parliamentary session due to be held on Thursday.
However, there were few signs in the first encounter, which was televised live, of a meeting of minds. The session was adjourned after two hours and the talks will resume in Baghdad tomorrow evening, the organisers said.
Iraq has been without a new government since an inconclusive election on March 7th which gave the cross-sectarian, Sunni-backed Iraqiya alliance an edge, fuelling tensions as the sectarian carnage unleashed after the 2003 US-led invasion recedes and US forces prepare to withdraw in 2011.
As today’s meeting took place, two car bombs rocked the southern holy Shia cities of Najaf and Kerbala, killing at least 14 Shia pilgrims, including four Iranians.
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, the attacks bore the hallmarks of a weakened but still lethal insurgency, which wants to reignite sectarian war and abhors what it sees as Iranian influence on Iraq's Shia leaders.
The next government needs a component representing the minority Sunnis if it is to try to heal old sectarian wounds. Excluding Iraqiya from power could anger its Sunni voters and reinvigorate the Sunni Islamist insurgency.
Addressing his counterparts, Iraqiya's leader Iyad Allawi called for a speedy formation of a new government strong enough to meet voters' expectations.
"It is time to move with confident and daring steps to achieve an Iraq which everybody wants," he said. "God willing, this meeting will succeed and we will come up with results that work out positively for the Iraqi population."
Other members of his bloc demanded that the meetings also discuss and agree on issues such as the next government's agenda and legislative and constitutional proposals.
Mr Maliki said trying to reach a deal that covered every demand could delay the formation of the government even further. "If we decide to agree on all of these, I say we would not agree until a year or two from now... but we need to agree on what we
can reach an agreement on," he said.
Iraqiya had said it will not take part in a government led by Mr Maliki and raised the possibility it might boycott the parliamentary session set for later this week, at which lawmakers will try to select a speaker.
"I don't think we will reach an agreement before Thursday," said Iraqiya member Saleh al-Mutlaq, a prominent Sunni.
But other senior leaders of Iraqiya said today they expected they would ultimately agree to link up with Mr Maliki while a group of disenchanted lawmakers within the bloc warned that they would split away if it did not.
Mr Maliki's coalition has merged with other Shia groups and reached deals with minority Kurds, paving the way for him to retain power. It also has assurances of support from small Sunni-based factions.
Under an expected deal, Mr Maliki would remain prime minister and Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, would retain the presidency. Iraqiya could be offered the speaker's post, the foreign ministry and a role with possibly expanded authority over defence issues, the
economy and foreign affairs.