Divided Iraqi leaders in talks to find consensus

BAGHDAD, Dec 12 (Reuters) Iraqi political leaders are in talks in an effort to find common ground among rival groups so as to halt worsening sectarian violence and strengthen Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's national unity government.

Iraqi officials said today the talks were aimed at creating a political coalition that could bridge the country's ethnic and sectarian divide.

The government is now made up of competing ethnic and sectarian blocs whose infighting has paralysed decision-making.

Maliki, whose own power base is weak, recently blamed the violence that has killed thousands of Iraqis on the failure of squabbling political leaders to compromise and work together effectively.

The officials said their ''preliminary'' talks involve the two Kurdish parties in the government, the powerful Shi'ite Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), and the biggest Sunni bloc in parliament, the Islamic Party.

''The aim of these agreements is to reinforce the national unity and also to support the political process ... and therefore the government,'' Jalal al-Deen al Saghir, a senior SCIRI official, told Reuters.

The talks follow efforts by US President George W Bush to take a more active role in the drive to forge a harmonious government in Baghdad and curb the sectarian violence.

Bush met Maliki in Jordan last month and assured him of his backing, and last week had talks in Washington with SCIRI leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim. He is due to meet Iraqi Vice-President Tareq al-Hashemi, a Sunni, in Washington later on Tuesday.

IRAQIS DISILLUSIONED The national unity government has promised much but achieved little since coming to power seven months ago. Iraqis are disillusioned by the stagnant economy and worsening security.

Maliki has struggled to stamp his authority on a government whose ministries are personal fiefdoms for the various political parties.

Political supporters of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al Sadr, forming one of the biggest blocs in the government, suspended their participation in the cabinet and parliament to press their demand for a timetable for US troop withdrawal and in protest against Maliki's meeting with Bush.

Officials involved in the talks denied reports that they were working to unseat Maliki or isolate Sadr, whose Mehdi Army militia is accused of death squad killings that fuel the Sunni-Shi'ite violence.

Iraqi leaders have held many similar discussions over the past two years but these have done little to reduce sectarian tensions within the government.

''There is no front or a bloc yet -- it is all still just talks,'' said Salim al-Jibouri of the Islamic Party. ''But we want to get away from the idea of electing someone because they are a Sunni, a Shi'ite or a Kurd.

''The biggest mistake was building the government on a strong sectarian basis. That's what we want to change.'' ''Some groups have jumped the gun and thought these talks were a kind of coup against the government. This is not true. Whoever wants to join is welcome as long as they denounce sectarianism,'' Jibouri said.

REUTERS PDM BD2128