Sunni bloc close to rejoining Iraq govt - president

Source: Reuters

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's main Sunni Arab political bloc, which quit the Shi'ite-led government last year, is close to rejoining and has submitted a list of candidates for ministerial posts, President Jalal Talabani said on Sunday.

"The main obstacles have been lifted. The Accordance Front delivered the names of their candidates for ministries to the prime minister. Two names for each ministry," Talabani, a Kurd, said in televised comments after meeting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The Front quit the national unity government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki last August, demanding the release of mainly Sunni Arab detainees and more say in security matters.

Persuading the bloc to rejoin the government has been a key aim of U.S. policy in Iraq, given minority Sunni Arabs currently have little voice in a cabinet dominated by Shi'ites and Kurds.



Read more: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/20/worldupdates/2008-04-20T194306Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-331379-1&sec=Worldupdates

if I'm planning on being outside between 11a.m. and 3 p.m.

They demanded a crackdown on Shia militias......

Now the Sunni have to return the favor on their part