Al-Maliki won endorsement of his program for bridging religious, ethnic and political divisions at a national conference of tribal chiefs. A representative of the chiefs read their agreement on live television, calling it a "pact of honor."
"Realizing the gravity of the situation our country is undergoing, we pledge in front of God and the Iraqi people to be sincere and serious in preserving the unity of our country," said the agreement signed by tribal leaders and sheiks.
The chiefs also pledged to "work hard to stop the bloodletting and ... sectarian killings that have nothing to do with our values."
The endorsement was a boost to al-Maliki because tribal ties wield considerable influence in Iraqi society, especially among rural people for whom clan bonds are vital.
"Hundreds" signed.
Getting their cooperation to end the bloodletting has been an important objective in an effort to end Sunni resistance to the new government of Iraq. The Baathists can't win. The foreign jihadis can't win. And with Sunnis more cooperative, the lingering resistance of the Sunni-based Baathist and jihadi terrorists can be squashed in time.
Then Iranian-sponsored Shia thugs will be the last real internal threat to defeat.
Then we'll need to work on corruption in the new government, of course.
But we've held in the face of different threats over the years since we first crossed the berms into Iraq in March 2003. I remain confident that we can overcome the threats to success remaining. This latest news is another step toward winning.
