Shiites, Kurds make deal

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Shiite leader Ibrahim al-Jaafari and Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani reached a tentative agreement yesterday to set aside their differences and focus on forming a new government, opening the way for a deal that would give Iraq its first Kurdish president and an Islamist prime minister.

The apparent breakthrough came as suicide bombers again struck in Baghdad, with two attacks that killed 14 people.

Addressing a news conference after talks in the northern city of Sulaymaniyah, Talabani said the Kurds dropped their demand for the Shiite coalition to agree in advance to incorporate the disputed town of Kirkuk into the region of Kurdistan. Al-Jaafari said the Shiite coalition dropped its demand to shelve a clause in Iraq's temporary constitution that would allow any three provinces of the country's 18 provinces to veto by referendum the new permanent constitution that the assembly will write.

Both leaders said they would abide by the existing temporary constitution drawn up under the supervision of the former U.S. administration and leave it to the National Assembly to make changes.

The status of Kirkuk is linked to land disputes arising from Saddam Hussein's attempt to drive Kurds from the city.

Talabani and al-Jaafari also said they recognized the importance of including members of Iraq's Sunni minority, which largely stayed away from the polls, in the new government, though there is no firm agreement on how to do that.

There was also no word of any agreement on the distribution of other jobs in the government between the Shiites and Kurds, and more tough bargaining lies ahead over the apportionment of key ministries. It has been more than a month since the vote, and frustration has mounted with the failure to come up with a new government.

Other issues remain, such as the likely role for Islam in the constitution and the degree of autonomy that will be granted to the Kurdish north. The Kurds expressed concerns about al-Jaafari's leadership of an Islamist party, while al-Jaafari refused to commit to the degree of autonomy the Kurds are seeking. But the agreement seems to signal that these issues also will be set aside temporarily in the interests of getting a new government up and running.

The opening of Iraq's new National Assembly, which had been tentatively scheduled for this weekend, has been delayed by the haggling, but an official with al-Jaafari's Islamic Dawa Party said he expects the assembly will be able to meet by the end of next week.

Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi is also a candidate for prime minister, but his chances of winning enough support are remote.

The Kurds insisted on the presidency as a price for their continued participation in the process and they put forward the name of Talabani, the veteran guerrilla leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, even before the election.

With 27 percent of the seats in the assembly, the second-largest share, the Kurds emerged in a powerful position in the formation of the new government and they held out for their demands to be met.

Yesterday's attacks in Baghdad began when a car bomb struck an Iraqi army base, killing eight soldiers and wounding at least 25. A second car bomb an hour later at an army checkpoint killed four soldiers. Separate clashes killed two police officers, the Defense Ministry said.

Material from The Associated Press is included in this report.