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Sunnis halt Iraq coalition talks UN hosts key conference on Iraq
(about 5 hours later)
Iraq's largest Sunni Muslim political bloc has suspended talks on rejoining the Shia-led government of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki. Envoys from nearly 100 countries are gathering in Sweden for a UN forum on economic and political reform in Iraq.
Its leader, Adnan al-Dulaimi, said there was a dispute over which posts his followers would be given. The UN called the conference outside Stockholm to review a five-year package it brokered last year, called the International Compact with Iraq.
The Sunni bloc pulled out of the Iraqi government last August. Correspondents say progress on security, the economy and political reform remains fragile.
News of the suspension comes as envoys from nearly 100 countries gather in Sweden for a conference on economic and political reform in Iraq. On the eve of the forum the largest Sunni Muslim bloc suspended talks on rejoining Iraq's Shia-led government.
The United Nations called the conference outside Stockholm to review a five-year package it brokered last year, called the International Compact with Iraq. Grounds for optimism
Meanwhile, US troops reported killing 10 Shia militiamen close to the Sadr City part of eastern Baghdad, a Shia stronghold. The UN conference in Upplands Vasby, about 25km (15 miles) north of Stockholm, is taking place amid high security.
The Americans say the gunmen were placing roadside bombs. A number of demonstrations are planned in the Stockholm area and close to the conference centre against the continued US presence in Iraq.
The gathering follows up a conference in May 2007 at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where the Iraq Compact was launched.
Nouri Maliki (left) is demanding nations reopen embassies
Optimism has been growing in Iraq that progress is at last being made, with ceasefires in Sadr City and Basra still holding, and the Iraqi government claiming some success in clearing al-Qaeda from the northern city of Mosul.
The US military says violence in Iraq is at its lowest levels for four years.
The gathering in Sweden is aimed at supporting Iraq's efforts to restore stability and rebuild a functioning economy.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged the international community to stand by Iraq as it continued to rebuild.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki told reporters after arriving in Stockholm: "Iraq is demanding world countries to reopen embassies and to cancel debts."
'No result''No result'
Mr Dulaimi, who heads the Sunni Accordance Front, said the prime minister had refused to allow his bloc to resume leadership of the planning ministry. The conference is likely to see pressure put on Mr Maliki's government to push ahead with political reconciliation between Sunni Arabs, Shia and Kurds, while continuing the clampdown on both Sunni and Shia extremism.
But on the eve of the conference the leader of the largest Sunni bloc suspended talks on rejoining the government, saying there was a dispute over which posts his followers would be given.
Adnan al-Dulaimi, who heads the Sunni Accordance Front in the Iraqi parliament, said Mr Maliki had refused to allow his bloc to resume leadership of the planning ministry.
"The talks yielded nothing and the government's response was not in line with our demands so we have decided to suspend them," he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press."The talks yielded nothing and the government's response was not in line with our demands so we have decided to suspend them," he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
Between them, the three parties that make up the bloc hold 44 of the 275 seats in parliament.Between them, the three parties that make up the bloc hold 44 of the 275 seats in parliament.
Ali al-Adeeb, a Shia MP close to Prime Minister Maliki, played down the bloc's decision.Ali al-Adeeb, a Shia MP close to Prime Minister Maliki, played down the bloc's decision.
"I do not think it is a big step backward and I do not think it will lead to the total withdrawal of the Accordance Front from the government," he said."I do not think it is a big step backward and I do not think it will lead to the total withdrawal of the Accordance Front from the government," he said.
The government, he added, had agreed on most of the names given by the Sunni bloc.The government, he added, had agreed on most of the names given by the Sunni bloc.
Persuading the bloc to rejoin is seen as a vital step towards reconciling the country's factions after several years of conflict, the BBC's Caroline Wyatt reports from Baghdad.
Grounds for optimism
The conference in Sweden comes at a time of growing optimism in Iraq that progress is at last being made, with ceasefires in Sadr City and Basra still holding, and the Iraqi government claiming some success in clearing al-Qaeda from the northern city of Mosul.
The US military says violence in Iraq is at its lowest levels for four years.
But any progress on security, the economy and political reform remains fragile, our correspondent notes.
As Mr Maliki left for the international conference, he said the task of building his country was more difficult than countering terrorism - and that he hoped other nations would offer debt relief.
The gathering in Sweden is aimed at supporting Iraq's efforts to restore stability and rebuild a functioning economy.
However, it is also likely to see pressure put on Mr Maliki's government to push ahead with political reconciliation between Sunni Arabs, Shia and Kurds, while continuing the clampdown on both Sunni and Shia extremism.