The frontrunner to be Iraq's next prime minister has held talks with the top Shia cleric on ways to include all parties in politics as talks on forming a new government looked set to drag on. On Friday, Ibrahim al-Jafari leader of the Shia al-Dawa party met Ayat Allah Ali al-Sistani, who has been reported by Aljazeera to have given his blessing to the likely new prime minister. After the meeting al-Jafari said: "There is an important issue we discussed: the participation of our brothers who could not take part in the election. The next government requires consultation and consensus."Al-Jafari, who is the interim vice-president and leader of the Shia Dawa Party, and other politicians are jockeying for the top positions in the next government after last month's election, negotiations complicated by ethnic and sectarian issues in a country troubled by violence. Leaders of Muslim Sunni Arabs who boycotted the election are not represented in the new government, after being Iraq's traditional leaders. The election result has raised concerns disaffected Sunnis will join fighters waging a campaign of violence. ButShia leaders have said Sunnis will play a role in Iraq's new political landscape despite their election turnout.
| But the guys playing a role will be the guys the Shiites allow to take part, not people who were elected by the Sunnis to represent them. Hosed that, didn't they? |