ARBIL: Leaders of Iraq's major political blocs met Monday for the first time since March elections in a new push to break the eight-month deadlock over forming a new government. The power-sharing efforts were marred by car bombs in Karbala, Najaf and the port city of Basra killiing 28 people, a reminder that insurgents remain determined to destabilize the country. The 90-minute meeting in the northern town of Arbil was the start of three days of negotiations that could signal the deeply divided political blocs are close to a power-sharing agreement in which Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki would keep his job. However, officials said there are still major obstacles to overcome. Political blocs that in the past settled their differences in the streets remain deeply suspicious of one another. Al-Maliki's State of Law coalition won 89 seats compared with 91 for the Sunni-backed alliance headed by former prime minister Ayad Allawi in the March 7 election. No party won an outright majority in the 325-seat parliament, and the blocs have spent the past eight months haggling to form a new government. The battle has come down to a contest between the Iranian-favored coalition of Al-Maliki along with followers of anti-American cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr and Allawi's Iraqiya coalition, which is pushing hard for limits to Al-Maliki's power. While Monday's nationally televised meeting marked the first time all the main political leaders have met since the March 7 vote, the leaders did not come close to resolving the thorny political issues. The gathering concluded with one decision: to meet again in Baghdad on Tuesday. Al-Maliki described the gathering as a new push toward an agreement and urged fellow politicians to “open a new page and leave the past behind.” Alluding to Iraq's violence, often blamed on Sunnis, Allawi emphasized it was important to form an inclusive government quickly and move forward with “firm and courageous steps.” Vice President Tareq Al-Hashimi, a Sunni from the Iraqiya alliance, warned that negotiating committees meeting for weeks before the Arbil gathering had left many of the most contentious issues to the leaders to work out. “I do not think that the leaders will be able to solve these sticking points because they need a lot of discussion and study,” he said. Officials familiar with the talks say Iraqiya is pushing for limits to Al-Maliki's power should they join forces with him and not just taken positions.
