ADDRESSING DEMANDS
But the four parties were unable to persuade the biggest Sunni Arab party, the Iraqi Islamic Party, to join them, leading U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker and other observers to question the credibility of an alliance without Sunni Arabs.
The Iraqi Islamic Party is the biggest party in the Accordance Front, the Sunni Arab bloc that pulled out of Maliki's cabinet last week in protest at his failure to address their demands for a greater say in government.
"Among the issues that will be addressed today are the demands of the Accordance Front and their participation in the government. So far, we feel that their decision of leaving is not final and could be reversed," the Iraqi official said.
A long-standing Sunni Arab demand for the constitution to be amended will also be discussed, he said.
Sunni Arabs, politically dominant under Saddam Hussein, have accused Maliki's government of marginalising them and have, since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 toppled Saddam, formed the backbone of the insurgency.
Recently though, a number of tribal sheikhs have formed an alliance with the government against Sunni Islamist al Qaeda, a move that has helped to pacify restive Anbar province in Western Iraq, once the most dangerous region for U.S. troops.
Washington hopes that drawing Sunni Arabs more firmly into the political process and addressing their grievances will help ease sectarian tensions that have, by the most conservative count, killed tens of thousands and made millions hopeless.
It has urged Maliki to pass laws on sharing oil revenues and easing restrictions on former members of Saddam's Baath party serving in the army or civil service.
But Maliki has lost nearly half his cabinet since April: the Accordance Front and Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's movement have pulled out their ministers, and ministers loyal to former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi are boycotting meetings.
