Word: blocs
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...measure, approved by Maliki's cabinet, would prevent political parties with militias from running in provincial races slated for October. That means politicians loyal to Sadr, who include at present a sizable bloc in parliament, would be ineligible because of their connection to Sadr's Mahdi Army militia. Some observers, however, were skeptical the measure would go anywhere, since one of the other key Shi'ite parties, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, has its own militia, the Badr Brigade...
...overture toward Sadr, whose unilateral cease-fire last year was a major factor in lowering levels of violence across Iraq. The Americans appear eager to restore the truce, which has essentially broken down as U.S. troops back Iraqi forces fighting militiamen in Sadr City. But Sadr, whose bloc of political loyalists long ago boycotted the Iraqi government, sounded a note of defiance that seemed to slam the door on hopes of peaceful resolution...
...right now. If they leave; Iraq will fall into chaos and that would be no good for the American reputation." He didn't really prefer one candidate over the other, an opinion shared even by members of parliament. Says Alia Nasayif Jasim of the secular Iraqi National Accord bloc: "As Iraqis, from what we've seen of the bitterness in the American relationship with the Middle East, we don't think it matters who holds the presidency...
...talk over missile defense with George W. Bush. Three guests are waiting in the Chancellery when Tusk arrives. "I am not crazy about this job," he sighs, plunking down in an armchair and unbuttoning his jacket. That's understandable. Nineteen years after his country broke free from the Soviet bloc, it is still ridding itself of the effects of communist rule. Employment levels are among the worst in Europe. Roads, telecommunications and sewage lines are in terrible shape. As for Polish political life, Tusk admits, it can only be described as "weird...
...local elections if they did not disband the Mahdi Army. Although much of the government backed Maliki's statement, even his allies acknowledged it would be an uphill battle. "Let's be realistic, Maliki's main goal is to wipe out the Sadrists before elections because he knows his bloc will lose to them," Alia Nasayif Jasim, a legislator from the secular Iraqi National Accord party, told TIME. "It is impossible to wipe out the Sadrists. If the government is serious, it should dissolve all militias including those linked to the government. If it goes after all the militias equally...