Iraq's Shiite, Sunni, Kurdish leaders reach consensus on key laws

Iraq's Shiite, Sunni, Kurdish leaders reach consensus on key laws

Compiled by Daily Star staff

Monday, August 27, 2007

Iraq's Shiite, Sunni, Kurdish leaders reach consensus on key laws

Iraq's top Shiite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish leaders announced on Sunday they had reached consensus on some key laws that Washington views as vital to fostering national reconciliation, as beleaguered Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki slammed US and French officials calling for his ouster.

US aircraft attacked targets throughout the country on Sunday, as Shiite militiamen temporarily took over a post evacuated by the British Army in Basra as tens of thousands of Shiites began an annual pilgrimage to Kerbala amid tight security and fears of violence.

The appearance of Maliki on Iraqi television with the other leaders was a rare show of public unity amid crumbling support for the prime minister's government. The other officials at the news conference were President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd; Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi; Shiite Vice President Adel Abdul-Mehdi; and Masoud Barzani, president of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

Iraqi officials said the leaders had signed an agreement on easing restrictions on former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party joining the civil service and military.

"They signed a new draft on de-Baathification," said Yasin Majid, an adviser to Maliki.

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