BAGHDAD: Iraq's Kurds are holding firm to their claim on the country's presidency and the once-dominant Sunni minority is trying to push for checks on the powers of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki as the country faces a looming parliamentary deadline to choose a new political leadership. Iraq's top political leaders are meeting Tuesday for the second day in a row for face-to-face talks to find a way out of the country's eight-month political deadlock since March 7 elections. But producing a deal by Thursday's scheduled parliamentary session is difficult. Standing in the way are issues such as how to apportion key government posts, what role to give the Sunni-backed Iraqiya coalition led by a senior Shiite politician and the deep distrust between political factions. Iraq has yet to cobble together a new government after the March vote. That inconclusive election set off a bitter fight between al-Maliki, now partnered with anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in an Iranian-backed coalition and, on the opposite side, the Iraqiya coalition led by former prime minister Ayad Allawi. The Sunnis see Allawi's coalition as their only hope for political power. With momentum recently shifting in al-Maliki's favor, the question appears to be what role to give to Allawi's Iraqiya coalition. If the coalition is shut out altogether and the Sunnis left feeling disenfranchised again, the risk is a return to sectarian violence. During a news conference Tuesday, a senior Iraqiya leader, Saleh al-Mutlaq, said the issue of who will be the next prime minister has not yet been settled and will be discussed in the next few days.
