Iraqi senior officials meeting for the emergency meeting

12/01/2012 15:53 BAGHDAD, Jan. 12 (AKnews) - Iraqi president, prime minister, speaker of the House of Representatives and heads of political leaders are due to meet on Sunday to set the stage for the emergency meeting of the political leaders.

Deputy for head of Kurdistan Blocs Coalition Mohsen Saadun told AKnews that during Sunday's meeting senior politicians will confirm whether the blocs will attend the emergency meeting or if they have any preconditions to resolve.

The emergency meeting was called by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani after relations between two major blocs, Iraqiya List of Ayad Allawi and State of Law Coalition of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, deteriorated.

Maliki sacked his Iraqiya deputy Saleh Mutlag and a court issued an arrest warrant for Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, both senior figures in Iraqiya, shortly after the U.S. military left the country in December. These events and the timing are widely viewed by Iraqiya members and Sunni leaders as evidence that Maliki is trying to establish a Shiite hegemony.

Some blocs have conditions to be met before the conference. Members of National Coalition (which includes SLC) for instance have stated their bloc will not attend the meeting if Iraqiya addressed Hashemi and Mutlag's issues. Iraqiya said the presence of Iraqi Kurdistan Regional President Massoud Barzani for attending the conference. Barzani in turn has rejected to attend the meeting if it is held in Baghdad.

By Haidar Ibrahim

LH/JS/AKnews