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The article reports that leaders of the Sunni and secular parties plan on asking the Shiite bloc to withdraw Ibrahim Jaafari, its prime minister candidate, for Iraq's new government.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, making an unannounced stop in Baghdad on Sunday, praised the Iraqi government's decision to take on Shiite militia members in Basra and in Baghdad and painted an upbeat picture of the Iraqi government's progress toward unifying the country. Ms. Rice, who visited the Iraqi capital on her way to a conference in Kuwait of Iraq's neighbors, said that Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki's government ''has made a choice to pursue militias and is willing to bear the consequences.'' [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses a lack of support for Iraqi prime minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki's attempts to remain in power despite Iraqi president Fuad Masum's nomination of politician Haider al-Abadi as Iraq's next prime minister. Topics addressed include a decline in support for Maliki from the Iranian government, Iraqi military and the Shiite Islamist Dawa Party political party, as well as Abadi's comments on Maliki.

The article discusses Iraqi president Fuad Masum's nomination of Shiite Muslim political leader Haider al-Abadi as prime minister of Iraq, highlighting Iraqi prime minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki's refusal to step down as prime minister. Topics addressed include allegations regarding Maliki's role in fueling sectarian tensions in the country and the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) Sunni Muslim extremist organization, as well as U.S. responses to political instability in Iraq.