Iraq's Sadr bloc returns to parliament - Turkish Daily News Jul 18, 2007
BAGHDAD - Reuters
The political bloc of fiery Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said yesterday it had ended a boycott of the Iraqi parliament, potentially easing deadlock over steps to ease sectarian tension racking the country.
Washington is pressing for power-sharing laws to help reconcile majority Shiite and minority Sunni Arabs. However, several of parliament's 275 members had stopped attending and the rest go off on a month-long break on Aug. 1.
"We have ended our suspension in parliament. We are back," Nassar al-Rubaei, spokesman for the bloc in parliament, told Reuters.
The movement has 30 seats in parliament, which accounts for a quarter of the total held by the ruling Shiite Alliance of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.