Top U.S. Diplomat Urges Iraq Blocs To Reconcile

BAGHDAD — Washington's no. 2 diplomat pressed leaders of Iraq's religious and ethnic factions yesterday to take advantage of recent security gains to push through legislation aimed at cementing national reconciliation or risk a return to greater violence.

The warning came as the main Sunni bloc agreed to return to Parliament after officials eased a virtual house arrest of its leader, putting an end to a crisis that had threatened to inflame sectarian tensions as Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds struggle to forge power sharing agreements.

"The security surge has delivered significant results, now progress on political reconciliation including key national legislation as well as economic advances is needed to consolidate the gains made thus far," Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said. "If progress is not made on these fronts we risk falling back to the more violent patterns of the past."

The American military has said the levels of violence in Iraq have fallen to lows not seen since January 2006.