Iraq summit eyed to unite divided political leaders
Sunday, August 5, 2007
A PLANNED summit of Iraq's political leaders will be "the moment of truth" for chances of a powersharing deal between Iraq's bitterly divided sects, a Western diplomat said yesterday.
The pullout of the main Sunni bloc this week left Iraq's government a national unity coalition in name only at a time when it is under pressure from Washington to pass key laws and reach agreement on sharing power.
"This is the moment of truth for how they may handle this problem," the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told journalists at a briefing in Baghdad's Green Zone, which is home to the government and the US and British embassies.
"This is not just a tiff. It is a very, very serious situation," he said.
The planned summit, a date for which has not yet been announced, will bring together President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, Shi'ite Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi and maybe Masoud Barzani, president of Iraq's Kurdistan region.
The diplomat described the summit as "very, very important" and said Iraqi officials were working hard on an agenda that could effectively agree a powersharing deal and pave the way for swift passage of the laws through parliament.
The infighting has paralysed the government, with no agreement on laws to distribute oil revenues fairly, allow former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party back into the civil service and set a date for provincial elections.
Reuters
The pullout of the main Sunni bloc this week left Iraq's government a national unity coalition in name only at a time when it is under pressure from Washington to pass key laws and reach agreement on sharing power.
"This is the moment of truth for how they may handle this problem," the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told journalists at a briefing in Baghdad's Green Zone, which is home to the government and the US and British embassies.
"This is not just a tiff. It is a very, very serious situation," he said.
The planned summit, a date for which has not yet been announced, will bring together President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, Shi'ite Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi and maybe Masoud Barzani, president of Iraq's Kurdistan region.
The diplomat described the summit as "very, very important" and said Iraqi officials were working hard on an agenda that could effectively agree a powersharing deal and pave the way for swift passage of the laws through parliament.
The infighting has paralysed the government, with no agreement on laws to distribute oil revenues fairly, allow former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party back into the civil service and set a date for provincial elections.
Reuters
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