Sunni Bloc Rejoins Iraqi Government, Amid Reconciliation Hopes

"Before, the government did not represent the full Iraqi spectrum," said Salim Abdullah al-Jubori, a spokesman for the bloc. "The government now represents everybody."

Still, it remains to be seen whether the Accordance Front will stay in the government. On previous occasions, leaders announced such intentions only to withdraw later. Unresolved issues and simmering internal tensions could plague the bloc, underscoring the fragmentation of Sunni politics in Iraq.

For months, key Accordance Front leaders insisted that they head the influential Ministry of Planning, currently headed by Ali Baban, who abandoned the group in order to keep his post when it decided to pull out. That issue remains unresolved, Jubori said, adding that "we don't intend to raise this issue until further notice."

There is also acrimony within the bloc over the division of cabinet posts. Khalaf al-Elayan, who heads the National Dialogue Council, complained that four positions, including deputy prime minister, went to members of the Iraqi Islamic Party, led by Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi. Elayan's party received two posts.

"The Islamic Party wants to control all the main points of government and all the committees," Elayan said. "They want to minimize the activities of the others. The tension is still running, but we are trying to cool them down."

Jubori disputed the allegations, saying that the Islamic Party selected only the deputy prime minister. The other three ministries, he said, were selected by Dulaimi, who leads the People of Iraq Conference, as well as the Front.

"All the people that say the Islamic Party took all the ministries and all the jobs are not reliable and not honest," Dulaimi said.

Special correspondents Qais Mizher, Zaid Sabah and Aziz Alwan contributed to this report.