A big, supportive crowd greeted Maliki. Some waved Iraqi flags as he gave a soaring assessment of national affairs in this war-weary country - tempered with an appeal to Shi'ites to continue participating in the political process.
"National reconciliation efforts have succeeded in Iraq and the Iraqis have once again become loving brothers," he said in a speech broadcast live on television. "We have ended the security instability and we have to chase Al Qaeda elements in other places such as Mosul, Diyala, and Kirkuk in order to finish the battle for good so that we can concentrate on the reconstruction phase."
The prime minister also acknowledged the need to move forward on political unification.
"I affirm the necessity of pushing the political process, boosting security and the economy, and combating corruption," he said. "We should be united and keep away from personal interests in order to face the greater challenges and achieve final victory."
One of the greatest challenges right now is resurrecting a deal on provincial elections that would find support among Iraq's three main groups: Shi'ites, Sunni Arabs, and Kurds. New elections are seen as step toward handing greater power to Iraq's varied regions and giving Sunnis a stronger political voice. Its collapse Wednesday dashed hopes both in Baghdad and Washington.
The Bush administration backed it as one of 18 benchmarks to promote reconciliation.
Most of the benchmarks remain unmet. But the US view is that - if compromises can ultimately be reached - the deals would stabilize Iraq and ultimately allow America to withdraw its troops.
Parliament approved the elections measure in a bundle with two others, the budget and a key amnesty bill, and then broke for a five-week vacation.
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