Maliki summons political leaders for compromise

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Kamal al-Maliki has pledged to host talks with the country’s major political parties in an effort to unite the warring groups, The New York Times reported Monday.

Maliki has also threatened to replace cabinet ministers if they do not participate in the meeting.
This request comes at a time of political unrest in Baghdad; the Shiite-led Maliki government has been plagued by boycotts from cabinet members.

Adnan al-Dulaimi, a Sunni political leader, claimed that Shiite death squads and Iranian agents were conducting “genocide” against Sunnis with the tacit approval of government institutions, according to the article.

“We believe that we have reached a point of desperation with this government, and there are no ways to continue with it,” Dulaimi said in an interview on Sunday night.

The Iraqi government’s lack of progress has created much frustration among American officials in Iraq, who have shifted their focus and expectations to progress in individual provinces.

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