Sadr's overtures to the Iraqi government come at the same time that a coalition of Sunni politicians is preparing to rejoin the government. Sadr's followers and Tawafiq, the coalition of Sunni parties, are looking to the provincial elections scheduled for October, which are a dress rehearsal for the general elections that will take place in 2009.
Both Sadr's movement and Tawafiq discouraged their followers from participating in elections in 2005 and regretted the decision. They want to compete in the next round.
"People learned a lesson, and now they know everybody should get prepared for the next election," said Haithem al-Hussaini, a spokesman for the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, the rival Shi'ite party to Sadr's.
Other groups are also lining up, announcing the formation of new political fronts and exploratory committees. Adnan Pachachi, a secular politician, said yesterday in an interview that he and former prime minister Ayad Allawi are working to put together a new secular political front, which they hope will bring together secular Sunnis and Shi'ites.
The Awakening Councils, made up of primarily Sunni tribal leaders, held a conference last weekend to discuss the formation of a political party so that they, too, can get on the ballot.
But Sadr's moves are among the most complex, in part because he is a key participant in the struggle within Iraq's Shi'ite majority, and a master at alternating between hard power and soft power - bullets and words; guns and butter - to boost his political position.
Joint Chiefs leader says military action against Iran cannot be ruled out. A13.
Yesterday, he appeared to have decided the time was ripe to back away from a military approach, which he had employed in recent weeks. His people were being killed by US and Iraqi troops; civilians were caught in the crossfire, which made the public less likely to support him; and the parliament was reviewing legislation that would outlaw participation in the elections by parties that have militias.
