Allawi,
a secular Shiite who gained a reputation as a tough politician with
security as his main trump card, said sectarianism was taking roots in
Iraq.
"Services
are deteriorating and sectarianism is prevailing and militias are in
control of certain sectors of Baghdad," he added.
Allawi
earlier accused the incumbent government of Ibrahim Al-Jaafari of
allowing powerful militias to hold sway, posing a threat to communal
harmony in the country.
He
also accused the Shiite-led government of forming death squads and
setting up secret torture centers.
The
anti-Sunni attacks prompted regional and international warnings of a
looming civil war in Iraq, which would destabilize the entire Middle
East.
The
respected International Crisis Group (ICG) said last month only the
introduction of significant changes to the Iraqi "sectarian"
constitution and disbanding government-condoned militias can help ward
off a deadly civil war.
Iraqi
President Jalal Talabani, however, sought to play down the civil war
fears.
"One
can completely rule out the threat of a civil war," Talabani, a
Kurd, told reporters following a meeting of political parties discussing
the formation of a unity government on Sunday.
On
Hold
Meanwhile,
the Iraqi political parties have suspended their negotiations on forming
a new government for one week.
"The
negotiations with the other lists to form the government will start in
one week," Kurdish lawmaker Mahmoud Othman told AFP.
Iraqi
parties have been deadlocked over forming a national unity government
since the December election to choose the first full-term parliament.
But
the Iraqi political parties agreed on the creation of a new security
council during talks on Sunday.
"Yesterday
(Sunday) the meeting of the president with the other parties agreed on
the principle of forming a national security council," Othman said.
The
19-member council will consist of nine members of the Shiite United
Iraqi Alliance, four from the Kurdish alliance, three members of the
Sunni list, two members of Allawi's list and one from Sunni National
Dialogue Front led by Saleh Mutlaq.
Creation
of the council -- a body not envisaged in the constitution -- is aimed
at assuring Sunnis and Kurds that their communities would have a say in
security matters.
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