Maliki Presses on with Reconciliation Plan

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has done his best to promote his plan for national reconciliation, but although it offers light at the end of the tunnel, the question is whether Maliki will be successful. He has pledged to end all kinds of violence and to rebuild the country. His efforts look promising since he intends to meet the marja, the Shia clerical establishment, in Najaf, the Sunni Association of Muslim Clerics and other groups that enjoy a lot of public influence. He will explain how his plan will work and ask them to help put an end to scenes of violence in the streets. The programme has been received positively by the general public, by political parties, and by some armed groups.