U.S. worried by aspects of Iraqi politics

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Washington may find it difficult dealing with an Iraqi government that contains ministers advocating violence in the country, the U.S. State Department said.

Sadrists, lawmakers loyal to anti-American cleric Moqtada Sadr, announced last week they would back Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a second term in office. Iraq hasn't had a new government since March 7 elections.

The backing from Sadrist lawmakers moves Maliki within sight of the 163-seat majority needed in parliament to form a new government. Sadr has a bitter past with Maliki, stemming from a 2008 offensive launched by the prime minister, though the agreement last week was said to have come with certain concessions for Sadr loyalists.

The position, meanwhile, gives Sadr political clout in Iraq, where U.S. military forces spent much of the war battling his forces.

U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns is in Baghdad discussing the political situation with key leaders, including the incumbent prime minister and his rival Iyad Allawi.

P.J. Crowley, a spokesman for the State Department, said that while Washington wanted a representative government in Baghdad, there were certain parties that may be troublesome.

"There are areas that are of particular emphasis within our bilateral relationship and it is just something for Iraq to keep in mind, that we might have trouble dealing with a ministry that is led by an entity that still believes it's appropriate to promote violence within Iraqi society," he said without offering specifics.