Brisk Maliki sets pace as Iraq govt takes shape

Nuri al-Maliki has not yet named his government but his progress report on Tuesday gave Iraqis a glimpse of the brisk style and inclusive discourse that have already won their new prime minister respect in many quarters.

Two weeks after his nomination ended months of deadlock over his close ally and predecessor Ibrahim al-Jaafari, observers are struck by the night-and-day difference between the two Shi'ite Islamists in their approach to public appearances -- a contrast that some say extends to their handling of political affairs.

Stepping promptly into the parliamentary chamber, Maliki gave a brief presentation on Tuesday, saying he was close to forming a cabinet. He then crisply answered numerous questions from reporters, before winding up in under 25 minutes.

The cerebral Jaafari, by contrast, was known for lengthy and puzzling digressions during his year as interim premier.

Though a tough-talking defender of Shi'ite interests in backroom negotiations since he returned from exile in Syria after the U.S. invasion of 2003, Maliki also made clear his intent to reach out to minority Sunni rebels as he strives to form a unity government that can stem sectarian violence.

In an example of his will to bury past differences, one of his first public acts in office was to change his own name -- dropping the forename Jawad he adopted as cover while fighting Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated regime and reverting to Nuri.

While critics accused Jaafari, sometimes paradoxically, of being both autocratic and indecisive, Maliki has won praise from both political rivals and diplomatic observers for an ability to both consult widely and act quickly after the talking is over.

"Even though he consults, he likes to take important decisions himself," said a diplomat who has seen Maliki at work, highlighting his experience as a parliamentary negotiator and as a member of the steering committee of the Shi'ite Alliance bloc.

He dislikes meetings that last more than half an hour and prefers to talk one-on-one rather than have group discussions, officials who have had dealings with Maliki said.

Though he cultivates a strongman image, built up over years in underground exile politics since he fled Iraq in 1980 under sentence of death from Saddam's courts, his nomination found favour with the once dominant minority Sunni community.

Sunni leaders describe Maliki as a straight talker they can do business with, despite his hardline past policies on banning members of Saddam's Baath party from public life and on death sentences for even secondary players in the Sunni insurgency.

Rivals admire his energy and dedication, noting the 20-hour days he has often been putting in lately behind the scenes.

Closely allied with Jaafari in Dawa, the oldest of the big Shi'ite Islamist parties grouped together in the Alliance, Maliki appears to suffer less than his predecessor in the eyes of Arab Sunnis and of Washington from a perception of closeness to fellow Shi'ite leaders in non-Arab, anti-American Iran.

Shi'ite officials question the basis for that as both have ties with Iran, where both spent time in exile. Jaafari later lived in Britain. Maliki stayed in the Arab world, in Syria.

Born at Hindiya, south of Baghdad, in 1950, he has a masters in Arabic letters and worked in the Education Ministry before he was condemned in absentia for underground activities with Dawa.

Once the government is formed, Maliki's priorities will be improving security and trying to revive the economy.

With Iraqis hungry for better days -- and many of them armed and ready to fight their countrymen for them -- he will need all his energy, efficiency and diplomacy to show rapid progress.

OK, somebody pinch me...do I detect a somewhat positive spin from "Al-Reuters"?

Somehow this guy has to be bad for Bush if he gets this kind of press...

A rather upbeat article to say the least. Not one negative.
All indications point to this guy being a wise choice. And surely with all the time they have taken over the past four months, they must now have worked out last minute details as who will represent each ministry post to best serve the countries needs.
It will be interesting to see how they end up treating many of the Baathist elitist. If the majority of Iraq really seek a reconcillation of sorts, then the goverment is going to have to act accordingly. Sometimes sins forgiven can lead to new horizons of cooperation.

When reading anything by Reuters, especially about that part of the world, it's important to look at the author's name. All too many Reuters articles are written by guys whose Islamic names suggest a partisan view of the topic at hand.

The byline says the article was written by "Alastair Macdonald," which probably helps to explain why it seems better balanced than is usual for Reuters.

I was perplexed early on that the Sunnis and Kurds had vitually no objection to this guy being nominated, I'm beginning to understand why.

I've talked to some folks who've been to Iraq for various reasons. Apparently, the Iraqi equivalent of John Q. Citizen wants a government that can do what needs to be done (put down the fighting, pick up the garbage, deliver clean water and process sewage, resolve civil disputes in a just and impartial manner, and a bunch of other day-to-day things we Americans take for granted). That sort of thing, from my experience, requires someone who can own the important decisions, delegate the trivial ones, and work with a lot of different kinds of people.

Maliki looks like he can do all that. I hope he's successful.

I think that goes for a lot of us. Though he is a Dawa leader, he sure is 180 ° out of phase with what Jaafari represented.
Perhaps the badly mismanaged government has been a lession for all of them at this point. The game is up. Either represent all Iraqi and end the insurgency and get moving on re-building the country or face the chance of being thrown out of office.
The word accountability comes to mind.

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