Following discussions with the Bush administration, several of IraqÂ’s major political parties are in talks to form a coalition whose aim is to break the powerful influence of the radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr within the government, senior Iraqi officials say.The talks are taking place among the two main Kurdish groups, the most influential Sunni Arab party and an Iranian-backed Shiite party that has long sought to lead the government. They have invited Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to join them. But Mr. Maliki, a conservative Shiite who has close ties to Mr. Sadr, has held back for fear that the parties might be seeking to oust him, a Shiite legislator close to Mr. Maliki said.
Officials involved in the talks say their aim is not to undermine Mr. Maliki, but to isolate both Mr. Sadr and firebrand Sunni Arab politicians inside the government. Mr. Sadr controls a militia, the Mahdi Army, with an estimated 60,000 fighters that has rebelled twice against the American military and is accused of widening the sectarian war with reprisal killings of Sunni Arabs.
The Americans, frustrated with Mr. MalikiÂ’s political dependence on Mr. Sadr, appear to be working hard to help build the new coalition. President Bush met last week in the White House with Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the Iranian-backed Shiite party, and is meeting this week with Tariq al-Hashemi, leader of the Sunni Arab party.
In late November, Mr. Bush and his top aides met with leaders from Sunni countries in the Middle East to urge them to press moderate Sunni Arab Iraqis to support Mr. Maliki.
Mr. HakimÂ’s and Mr. HashemiÂ’s White House visits are directly related to their effort to form a new alliance, a senior Iraqi official said.
Last month, Mr. Bush’s national security adviser, Stephen J. Hadley, wrote in a classified memo that the Americans should press Sunni Arab and Shiite leaders, especially Mr. Hakim, to support Mr. Maliki if he sought to build “an alternative political base.” The memo noted that Americans could provide “monetary support to moderate groups.”
Iraqi officials involved in the talks said they had conceived of the coalition themselves after growing frustrated with militant politicians.
“A number of key political parties, across the sectarian-ethnic divide, recognize the gravity of the situation and have become increasingly aware that their fate, and that of the country, cannot be held hostage by the whims of the extreme fringe within their communities,” said Barham Salih, a deputy prime minister and senior member of one of the major Kurdish parties.
Mr. SadrÂ’s relationship with Mr. Maliki has shown signs of strain. On Nov. 30, Mr. Sadr withdrew his 30 loyalists in Parliament and six cabinet ministers from the government. Mr. Maliki called for them to return, but they said they would do so only if Mr. Maliki and the Americans set a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops. Mr. Sadr reiterated the demand with a fiery message on Sunday.
Any plan to form a political alliance across sectarian lines that isolates Mr. Sadr and Sunni Arab extremists carries enormous risks. American and Iraqi officials have worked to try to persuade Mr. Sadr to use political power instead of armed force to bring about change in Iraq. Though it is unclear whether Mr. Sadr has total control over his militia, he could ignite another rebellion like the two he led in 2004 if he thinks he is being marginalized within the government.
Some senior American commanders say that the attempts to make peace with Mr. Sadr through politics may have failed, and that a military assault on Sadr strongholds may be inevitable.
Falah Shanshal, a Sadr legislator, on Monday denounced the idea of a new coalition. “We’re against any new bloc, new front or new alliance,” he said. “We have to make unity between us, to be one front against terrorism and to liberate the country from the occupation.”
Iraqi officials say the other main risk is a potential backlash against the parties involved in the talks from other leaders in their own ethnic or sectarian populations.
For Mr. Hakim and Mr. Maliki, any attempt to join Sunni Arabs in an alliance against Mr. Sadr could invoke the wrath of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most powerful Shiite cleric in Iraq. Since the toppling of Saddam Hussein, the ayatollah has worked hard to bring various feuding Shiite factions into one greater Shiite coalition to rule Iraq. That coalition, including Mr. SadrÂ’s allies, is the dominant bloc in the 275-member Parliament.
Mr. Hashemi, the Sunni Arab leader, risks alienating other members of the main Sunni bloc in Parliament. Sunni Arab insurgents could also decide to step up violence against Mr. Hashemi and his Iraqi Islamic Party. Three of Mr. HashemiÂ’s siblings have already been killed.
Sunni Arab politicians not involved in the talks said they are furious at the proposed alliance.