New Iraq Alliance Formed to Support Shaky Government

Iraqi Kurdish and Shi'ite leaders formed an alliance on Thursday to support Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government, but failed to bring in Sunni leaders who are crucial to national reconciliation.

Maliki is facing a political crisis after the main Sunni Arab bloc, the Accordance Front, pulled its six ministers out of his Shi'ite-led national unity government saying he had ignored their demands.

The new alliance includes the two main Kurdish parties in the government, the powerful Shi'ite Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC) and Maliki's Shi'ite Dawa party.

But it failed to include the Islamic Party, the biggest single Sunni Arab party in parliament.

U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said the alliance would not be able to solve the country's problems on its own.

"The major problems confronting the country, the reasons that brought the leadership together are the kinds of thing that are going to have to be solved by Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurds," Crocker told Reuters. "This is a Kurdish-Shi'ite grouping.

"It certainly seems to me that by itself it is not going to be able to get at some of these core difficulties."

Talks to form an alliance began last year with the Islamic Party but broke down over its demand that it be given a greater say in security matters.

The same demand triggered the withdrawal this month of the Accordance Front which comprises three parties, including the Islamic Party.

But at a ceremony to announce the new bloc, President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, left the door open to other groups to join.

The agreement was signed by Talabani, Maliki, the president of the Kurdish region Masoud Barzani and Shi'ite Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi. It was not related to a leadership summit, which is expected soon with Sunni Arab participation.

"This agreement came to shake the paralysis in the political process. It is not an alternative to the blocs (in parliament)," Maliki said.


NEW PHASE

The three-page agreement did not mention details of how the alliance would help the government. It did include plans to form a follow-up committee and to continue talking with Sunni Arabs.

Maliki's government is made up of competing ethnic and sectarian blocs, whose infighting has paralysed decision-making and resulted in a failure to push through key issues, such as disbanding militias, which are critical for stability in Iraq.

Sunni Arab officials said the alliance marked a new phase for Iraq in which parties would be divided in parliament into pro-government and opposition blocs.

"A new phase has started. This encourages the other sides to look for the option of forming an opposition front," said Saleem Jubouri, a senior member in the Accordance Front.

He said powerful Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's movement and the small but influential Shi'ite group Fadhila could join such an opposition front.

Maliki's weak government promised much but has achieved little since it was formed fifteen months ago. Twenty ministers from three political blocs have either quit or stopped attending cabinet meetings.