Shias guarantee presence of Sunnis in next govt

Two preeminent leaders heading a coalition of Shia parties considered the favourite in the January 30 polls told AFP they want Sunnis to have posts in the government regardless of the vote outcome.

The attitude points to a realisation among the country's 15-million Shias, poised to rule Iraq for the first time in their history, that they have to find accommodation with Sunni Muslims who have lost political influence with the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.

Iraq's Shia political frontrunner Abdel Aziz Hakim, from the Supreme Council for the Shia Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), and Jawad Maliky, the number two in the powerful Dawa party, reached out to Sunni Muslims Friday, saying the minority would be guaranteed posts in the next government.

"Whether the Sunnis have many or few seats in the next parliament, we need the real participation of all," said Hakim, the top candidate on the Unified Iraqi Alliance, a 228-member list of Shia parties running for parliament.

"All must participate in the governmental authority and we will insist that they (Sunnis) be represented in the government, that they have posts and they should also have a voice in drafting the constitution and responsibilities in the government. This is what we are seeking to achieve," Hakim said.

It was the bluntest comment to date from Hakim, a man judged with suspicion by many Sunnis for his two-decade sojourn in Iran, where he conducted a cross-border war against Saddam and bonded with leaders of the country's theocratic regime.

Maliky, the second in command in the fundamentalist Dawa party, one of Iraq's oldest Shia movements founded in the 1950s, also stretched out his hand in the spirit of political compromise.

Maliky said he would be open to even guaranteeing seats for Sunnis in the new 275-seat assembly.

"We are open to an accord between all parties involved including the United Nations that can provide temporary representation on the national assembly for some parts of the country that for some reason does not take part in the vote," said.

He said he believed such a proposal could solve the impasse in the Sunni Muslim areas like Fallujah and Mosul, where the volatile insurgency has turned communities into war zones.