Deadly bombing comes hours after talks break down

ANALYSIS:Six months after the Iraqi election, the two largest parliamentary blocs are still trying to form a government

THE DEADLY suicide bombing in central Baghdad yesterday that killed 57 and wounded more than 120 exacted the highest toll this year for a single attack.

The bombing came just hours after the breakdown of coalition negotiations between the two largest parliamentary blocs still seeking to form a government almost six months after the March 7th election.

A strike in February by a woman bomber targeting Shia pilgrims walking to the holy city of Kerbala that killed 54 had been the most deadly incident.

Since the beginning of this month, violent elements have focused on police and armed forces. Traffic police, shot at intersections, have been armed with assault rifles to defend themselves. Security at checkpoints has been tightened after al-Qaeda operatives shot and burned soldiers and raised their movement’s flag. Last month, the official death toll was 535; this month it is 320 so far.

Late on Monday Ayad Allawi’s Iraqiya bloc, with 91 seats in the 325-member assembly, suspended talks with the State of Law faction, with 89 seats, led by prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, putting an end to a powersharing arrangement proposed by the Obama administration. If the deal had gone through, Maliki would have returned as prime minister while Allawi would have headed a national security council with a veto on policies.

The combined strength of the two parties would have given this government a comfortable majority.

Iraqiya pulled out because in a television broadcast, Maliki had referred to the bloc as “Sunni” thereby characterising it as a sectarian entity like all the other parties and blocs in Iraq’s parliament.

However, Iraqiya, which is determined to abolish sectarianism, is Iraq’s sole secular nationalist party. Twenty-six of its elected deputies are secular Shias, as is Allawi. Iraqiya official Intisar Allawi demanded an apology from Maliki, who could come under pressure from Washington to comply with Iraqiya’s demand.

The Obama administration wants to see a government in place in Baghdad before or soon after the pull-out of US troops at the end of this month.

Further dickering could prolong the cabinet-formation process until October.

Allawi has been unable to form a coalition because sectarian Shias and separatist Kurds who have ruled Iraq since the 2003 US occupation refuse to go into partnership with him.

Maliki has failed because two Shia religious parties that are ready to partner his State of Law bloc insist he must be dropped as prime minister.

While he continues to govern in a caretaker capacity Maliki cannot take any serious initiatives to curb rising violence. Parliament, which has convened briefly twice since June 14th, has been unable to elect a speaker and president since the choice of candidates for these posts depends on who will be premier.

The collapse of the Iraqiya-State of Law talks could prompt the two major Shia religious parties and the Kurds to resume negotiations with both blocs.