Iraq’s Political Leaders Invited to Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has invited Iraq’s political leaders to Riyadh for talks on breaking the political deadlock that resulted from inconclusive March elections.

In a Saturday statement, King Abdullah said the meeting could take place after the Muslim holidays in mid-November. He said Iraq is at a “crossroads” and needs to unite and put down what he called “ugly sectarianism.” King Abdullah said the meeting could take place under the patronage of the 22-nation Arab League.

In March voting, Iraq’s Sunni-backed Iraqiya alliance led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi secured a slight lead over current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition. However, Iraqiya fell short of the majority needed to govern.

Since then, both groups have been lobbying for extra support in an attempt to form and lead a coalition government.

Reuters news agency quotes an Iraqiya spokeswoman as welcoming Saudi Arabia’s initiative and saying Turkey and Iran should be involved, as well.

Last Sunday, Iraq’s highest court ordered parliament to resume its sessions and elect a new speaker. The Supreme Court ruled that parliament’s decision in June to delay its meeting by leaving its first session open was “unconstitutional.”

Some information in this story was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.