Iraqi leaders vow to boost national reconciliation

IRAQ: Iraq's top Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders vowed Monday to boost national reconciliation by agreeing to resolve key disputed issues that have thrown the war-ravaged country in a political turmoil.

The leaders agreed to ease restrictions on former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party to help them join government ministries, to hold provincial elections - a key demand of Washington - and help security forces in stopping the bloodshed, President Jalal Talabani's office said.

The latest effort to pull Iraq from the political crisis comes amid intense pressure from American leaders and two weeks before top US officials in Iraq - ambassador Ryan Crocker and General David Petraeus, head of the coalition forces - present their much-awaited report on Iraq to the US Congress.

Embattled Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shiite; Talabani, a Kurd; Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi; Shiite Vice President Adel Abdel Mahdi; and Massud Barzani, president of the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, made a rare television appearance after Talabani's office released the statement.

"After a series of meetings by political leaders in the circumstances that our country is passing through, they have decided to make serious efforts to find solutions to overcome the political and security crisis in Iraq," the statement said.

It said the five leaders agreed to accept the Reconciliation and Accountability Law "to guarantee justice and transparency to all."

The law, yet to be approved by the parliament, replaces the de-Baathification law and aims to facilitate the former members of Saddam's Baath party in joining government and military services.

The return of former Baathists who have no criminal records to public life has been a strong demand of Iraq's main Sunni Arab political bloc, the National Concord Front. The Front boycotted Maliki's Shiite-led government on August 1, paralysing the country's political progress.

The statement also said that leaders had decided to encourage sharing of government jobs equally among all the three communities. "The leaders agreed to hold provincial elections and to continue dialogue over other disputed issues such as constitutional reforms and the oil law," the statement said.

Washington has insisted that provincial elections and passage of the oil law are among the key cornerstones needed to achieve progress and reconciliation in Iraq. The oil law, which has been approved by the cabinet, aims to distribute oil revenues among all the provinces in a fair manner.

The leaders also agreed to stop the "deterioration of security and to work with the multinational forces in fighting terrorists and militias..." the statement added.

The White House on Sunday hailed the pledges from the Iraqi leaders as "an important symbol" of their readiness to work on behalf of all Iraqis.

"We congratulate Iraq's leaders on the important agreement reached today in Baghdad. Today's agreement is an important symbol of their commitment to work together for the benefit of all Iraqis," the White House said in a statement from the Crawford, Texas ranch where President George W. Bush is on vacation.

Baghdad, Monday, AFP.