Syria pushes for Iraq government

Iraq's two political heavyweights, the former Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, and Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have met in Damascus, following active mediation by Syria for the formation of a new Iraqi government.

An AFP photographer reported the two had met in Damascus. Turkey also appears to be intervening to resolve the deadlock in Iraq's government formation, with its Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu arriving in the Syrian capital on Monday. Iraq is a neighbour of Syria and Turkey.

The meeting between Mr. Allawi and Mr. Sadr took place amid spiralling violence in Iraq, which some analysts attribute to the lack of a functional government in Baghdad. On Sunday, a suicide bomber in Baghdad killed at least 43 people, mostly belonging to the anti-Al-Qaeda Awakening Councils.

Prior to their talks, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had separate discussion with both the Iraqi leaders.

On Saturday, after talks with Mr. Sadr, who had arrived from self-imposed exile in Iran, Mr. Assad said a new Cabinet should be formed in Iraq “as soon as possible”. On Monday, Mr. Allawi met the Syrian President, who identified Iraq's national sovereignty, unity and Arab identity as the basis for “any inter-Iraqi accord”, Syria's official news agency SANA reported.

Following Iraq's March 7 elections, Mr. Sadr's anti-U.S. bloc got 39 seats against 91 for Mr. Allawi and 89 for incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in the 325-member Parliament.

Prime Minister post

Apart from Iraq's sectarian and ethnic fault-lines, the choice of a prime ministerial candidate has emerged as a major stumbling block on the road to the formation of a new government.

Analysts say at least two possible scenarios are being discussed by the various political formations that are in the fray to form the next government. First, the Shia Iraqi National Alliance (INA) in combination with State of Law (SLA), also a Shia formation, is deliberating on a new government but without Mr. Maliki, who belongs to SLA, as the next Prime Minister. Second, the SLA is reportedly in discussions with Mr. Allawi's Iraqiyaa list, but has only offered it the post of parliamentary Speaker. Conversely, the Iraqiyaa is rejecting Mr. Maliki as the Prime Minister but is willing to consider him as Iraq's next presidential candidate.