Iraq ... Politics ... Bedfellows.

Don't let this news slip by you in these last sleepy days of August.  From Captain''s Quarters:

Representatives of all main sects in Iraq announced agreement on the most contentious issues, including a deal to initiate revenue sharing on oil production that concerned the American Congress most.

Wait a minute!  Did I really read that?

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's top Shi'ite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish political leaders announced on Sunday they had reached consensus on some key measures seen as vital to fostering national reconciliation.

The agreement by the five leaders was one of the most significant political developments in Iraq for months and was quickly welcomed by the United States, which hopes such moves will ease sectarian violence that has killed tens of thousands.

But skeptics will be watching for action amid growing frustration in Washington over the political paralysis that has gripped the government of Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

White House spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore congratulated Iraq's leaders on the accord, hailing it in a statement as "an important symbol of their commitment to work together for the benefit of all Iraqis."

The apparent breakthrough comes two weeks before U.S. President George W. Bush's top officials in Iraq present a report that could have a major influence on future American policy in Iraq.

I hope that this agreement will help Iraq move beyond the political impasse," Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih told Reuters. "The five leaders representing Iraq's major political communities .... affirmed the principle of collective leadership to help deal with the many challenges faced by Iraq."

Maliki's appearance on Iraqi television with the four other leaders at a brief news conference was a rare show of public unity.

The other officials present were President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd; Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi; Shi'ite Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi, and Masoud Barzani, president of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

I've highlighted the sort of "yeah, right" words.  Skepticism is understandable given past history and the strains and conflicts among the three groups.  But this is more than just some photo op:

Iraqi officials said the five leaders had agreed on draft legislation that would ease curbs on former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party joining the civil service and military.

Consensus was also reached on a law governing provincial powers as well as setting up a mechanism to release some detainees held without charge, a key demand of Sunni Arabs since the majority being held are Sunnis.

The laws need to be passed by Iraq's fractious parliament, which has yet to receive any of the drafts.

Yasin Majid, a media adviser to Maliki, told Reuters the leaders also endorsed a draft oil law, which has already been agreed [on] by the cabinet but has not yet gone to parliament. [...]

Committees had also been formed to try to ensure a "balance" of Shi'ites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds in government.

The oil law is seen as the most important in a package of measures stalled by political infighting in Maliki's government.

The lack of action has frustrated Washington, which has been urging more political progress before the pivotal report on Iraq is presented to the U.S. Congress around September 11.

The report by the U.S. military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and ambassador Ryan Crocker, is seen as a watershed moment in the unpopular four-year-old war, with Democrats likely to use the negligible political progress to press their case for troops to begin pulling out soon.

I bet the paranoids will be saying that this pivotal moment has been stage-managed, if not staged, by the Bush administration with heavy promises and payoffs.   Maliki certainly talks like a player in the lead-up to our own 2008 presidential elections, with a stake in a Republican victory:

The White House's Lawrimore said in her statement that [...] "The President also welcomes the desire of the Iraqi leadership to develop a strategic partnership with the United States based on common interests."

But Democrats are not convinced, and presidential hopeful Senator Hillary Clinton and fellow Senator Carl Levin have called for Maliki to be replaced.

Maliki hit back on Sunday, saying: "There are American officials who consider Iraq as if it were one of their villages, for example Hillary Clinton and Carl Levin."

"This is severe interference in our domestic affairs. Carl Levin and Hillary Clinton are from the Democratic Party and they must demonstrate democracy," he said. "I ask them to come to their senses and to talk in a respectful way about Iraq."

Saying the Iraqis could have somehow been bought off to do this just now ain't respectful.  But someone's going to say it, don't you think?  Whatever brought it about, if it brings some exhausted Iraqis a little surcease from slaughter and grief, to that extent the interests of the politicos align with those of the people.  If it holds, even partially, it will be an important achievement by whatever means it was achieved.

The biggest question, probably, is how hard Maliki is able and willing to crack down on al-Sadr -- or whether al-Sadr himself wants to make the transition from warlord to politician.

Comments

[Jeffrey]

I'm trying to figure out how this happened during vacation. Are all these various faction leaders hanging out at the same beach?

[wj]

Maybe this was part of the reason for insisting on going on vacation: so they could avoid wasting time posturing in Parliament and actually do some negotiating. If discussions in the Iraqi Parliament are anything like "debates" in the US Congress, nothing was going to get accomplished there.

[amba]

wj, it's so interesting that everybody is comparing "them" to "us"! Maybe some things are universal, after all.