Al Maliki dons mantle of peacemaker, woos Sunnis

Baghdad: Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki, in his first interview with a Western media outlet since last month's bitterly fought elections, vowed on Saturday that Sunnis would be major players in the next government, as he cast himself both as peacemaker and front-runner to lead the country.

The Shiite prime minister, who appeared confident and jovial during an hourlong interview at his palace office, also invited a secular bloc led by rival Eyad Allawi to join him in governing, despite an acrimonious post-election period that saw Al Maliki's supporters label the Iraqiya slate a front for the late Saddam Hussain's Baath Party.

Al Maliki, whose enemies have called him an avowedly sectarian leader, insisted that he would bring all major religious and ethnic components into the next government.

"We rejected the concept of sectarianism and built the state based on nationalism," Al Maliki said. "For this reason, I make the invitation for the Iraqiya bloc to participate in the government."

Post-election tensions

Supporters of Al Maliki and Allawi have engaged in a war of words since last month's elections, sparking fears among Iraqis that the country could again unravel on sectarian lines.

Although Al Maliki won the most votes of any politician in the elections, his State of Law alliance finished a narrow second to Iraqiya in parliament seats. His confidence on Saturday may have sprung from his belief that he is close to sealing a deal with the other main Shiite bloc to form a new government.

A spokesman for Iraqiya laughed on Saturday night at Al Maliki's outreach. "I can tell you it seems a funny offer. We are the ones who should be forming the government, not the other way around," said the spokesperson, Maysoon Damluji. Al Maliki emphasised that he wanted to reconcile Iraq's religious and ethnic communities, scarred by decades of war. He made it clear that, although the country had come a long way, Iraq had not yet overcome its communal tensions.

Quota talk

"We seek to end the sectarian or ethnic quotas," he said. "We must continue working to achieve this goal." He also portrayed himself as a referee among the different sects and ethnicities, still traumatised by Saddam's rule.

"The Shiites demand big things, the Sunnis demand huge things, and likewise the Kurds do," he said. "No one should think they will get more than what they deserve in this country. Even the Shiites have to be convinced that just because you form the majority of people, this does not mean that you will rule the country alone."

Since the elections, Al Maliki's backers have alleged fraud and demanded a recount; Allawi has warned that any attempt to block him from trying to form the next government could spark chaos and violence in the country's Sunni Arab provinces. The political landscape has also been shaken by a string of recent bombings and other violence in Baghdad.

Calling Allawi his "brother", Al Maliki urged the former prime minister to refrain from provocative comments. "We do not use inflammatory dialogue whether against Eyad Allawi or his bloc, because they remain as political partners in this country. Also, they have to live up to their responsibility," he said.

Key positions

He said members of the rival groups had met, although the two leaders had yet to sit down together. He said that if he formed the next government, he would assign key positions to Sunnis in the Iraqiya bloc.

"The Iraqiya bloc has 75 or 74 from the Sunni component, and they will get their entitlement in the parliament, ministries, vice presidency and deputy prime ministership," he said.

Al Maliki made light of Iraqiya's claim of primacy, pointing to a Supreme Court opinion in March that authorised the biggest coalition in parliament to form a government, not the single bloc with the most seats.