Maliki's allies warn of division

Senior politicians from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's ruling coalition warned Tuesday that Shiite-dominated southern Iraq could severely loosen its ties with Baghdad if the nation's electoral commission failed to meet its demand for a manual recount of parliamentary election results. The politicians, who also echoed al-Maliki's warning Sunday that sectarian violence could return without a recount, accused the U.S. embassy of working against them. In turn, Western diplomats and advisers to the Iraqi government described al-Maliki's circle as terrified of losing power and said Iraq is entering a dangerous period. Final results of the March 7 balloting are not yet available, but the Independent High Electoral Commission has made clear it does not intend to conduct a ballot-by-ballot recount. The U.S. Embassy and the United Nations have said that the balloting appeared to be carried out in a credible fashion, with no evidence of widespread fraud.