Sunday, January 22, 2006

BBC News: The Shia bloc which took the most votes in Iraq's election says it will form a coalition with Sunni groups but only if they do more to combat the insurgency. The United Iraqi Alliance failed to win an absolute majority in December's vote and so must govern in a coalition. An UIA spokesman said it was already reaching out to both Sunnis and Kurds and was ready to negotiate. A national unity government looks much more likely than when the result was announced, says a BBC correspondent. The United Iraqi Alliance took 128 of the 275 seats, Kurdish parties 53 and the main Sunni Arab bloc 44 in the 15 December poll. Some Sunnis still allege poll fraud and may challenge the result. [...]