5 ministers and the Sunni deputy prime minister resigned from Maliki's governemnt. Tawafuq, the main Sunni bloc, has a list of demands including disbanding Shia militias and giving Sunnis more say in security matters. Both Al-Maliki and president Talibani say they agree with some of the demands and are calling for wider talks. Sunnis were marginalized for a long time so this step comes late.
Al-Maliki's government and his predecessor Jafari have both pushed a sectarian agenda that led to virtual takeover of Shia militias over security services. That meant the killing of thousands of Sunni civilians by Shia death squads and forcing many more to flee their homes.
US administration has been pressuring the Iraqi government to rain in Shia militias, among other things. Iyad Allawi has emerged as an interesting alternative to Maliki. He's presenting himself as the secular alternative to Iran-backed Shia, he also appeals to the Sunni bloc. Aljazeera had an interesting interview with him, check out below:
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