BAGHDAD ¨C Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki broadcast a joint appeal for national unity on Tuesday with bitter Sunni critics of his Shiite-led government ¡ª a move that may help him win U.S. help against rampant Islamists threatening Baghdad.
Just hours after al-Maliki¡¯s Shiite allies had angrily vowed to boycott any cooperation with the biggest Sunni party and his government had accused Sunni neighbor Saudi Arabia of backing ¡°genocide,¡± the premier¡¯s visibly uncomfortable televised appearance may reflect U.S. impatience with its Baghdad protege.
In a rerun of previous failed efforts at bridging sectarian and ethnic divisions, Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders met behind closed doors and then stood frostily before cameras as Maliki¡¯s Shiite predecessor Ibrahim al-Jaafari read a statement denouncing ¡°terrorist powers¡± and supporting Iraqi sovereignty.
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