by Jennie Matthew
AFP

BAGHDAD (AFP) - As Iraqis line up miserably for food and water, or swelter in homes and hospitals without electricity, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s coalition government is collapsing around him.

The latest boycott — by four ministers from a non’sectarian party — brought to 17 the number of members of the Shiite-led coalition to have walked out, tendered their resignations or withdrawn from cabinet meetings.

Hopes that the so-called national unity coalition can be saved now depend on the senior leadership of the rival parties cutting a new power’sharing deal that can convince the bitter Sunni minority to return to the fold.

But Maliki further alienated himself from his Sunni political opponents — whose inclusion in government the Americans see as crucial to ending Iraq’s civil conflicts — by accusing them of being insincere and irresponsible.

“The withdrawal from the government is evidence of irresponsibility, because they don’t have anything other than withdrawal either in the parliament or in the government,” the Shiite premier said.

His comments were made in an interview with Iran’s state Arabic language television channel Al-Alam, recorded on Monday and shown on its website.

“All this makes us believe that it is a sign of their lack of credibility and lack of sincerity in the political process, or a sign of a different agenda which is contrary to the political agenda we currently have,” he added.

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