Maliki getting things done at last?

Najaf, Sept 5, (VOI)- Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Wednesday spoke of a possible formation of a new government after meeting the top Shiite cleric Ali al-Sistani in Najaf.

"I acquainted Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani with latest political developments after visiting
some neighboring countries and signing the four and five-party agreements with other political blocs," Maliki told a news conference in Najaf following his meeting with Sistani.
The Prime Minister, who arrived on Wednesday in the Shiite sacred city of Najaf, said "Ayatollah al-Sistani focused during the meeting on rendering the political process in the country a success and on regaining security and providing citizens with services."
"Ayatollah al-Sistani called for confronting sectarianism advocates as Muslims of all sects are bothers without any discrimination," Maliki noted.
(Aswat Aliraq)

That wascally Prime Minister al-Maliki has turned into a real go-getter over the summer. While Iraq's parliament took a month off, he apparently went schmoozing with the various factions and got them together for an agreement.

One of the keys here, I think, is the way the Iraqi population has revealed (in polls) its willingness to welcome a unified "secular" government (secular in the sense that it remains independent of the Islamic sects). Al-Sistani's support, if sincere, should certainly help the effort. The biggest key, of course, is the nature of the new government.