The Sunni powers are wedded to the principle of rejecting the US occupation, which makes the concept of unity very much likely.

“True that the Sunni powers in Iraq think differently, but these powers, with the help of academics and scholars, could reach common grounds to counter future perils,” Iraqi political analyst Essam Al-Rawi said.

Unity bids, however, usually hit a dead end over insistence of each side to stick to its own vision, Adnan Salman Al-Delemi, the head of the Sunni Awqafs, told IOL.

“We managed to organize an all-inclusive Sunni conference on January 4 to demonstrate to the Iraqi people that the Sunni community is acting in concert,” he added.

Delemi revealed that a similar meeting could be held within days.

“It will group the AMS, the Islamic Party as well as the Salafist, Sufi and secular bodies,” he added.

AMS spokesman Muthana Harith Al-Dari, for his part, said a unified Sunni body is not a far-fetched dream should the Sunni powers see eye to eye on the “basics”.

“To start, all Sunni powers should take a clear-cut stance on the US occupation of Iraq and abide by non-cooperation with its ruling bodies in the country,” he told IOL.

“A unified body should also work on promoting national reconciliation, buttressing the Iraqi social fabric and preserving Iraq's unity.”

Dari, nevertheless, warned of “opportunists who want to make advantage of the unity calls to serve their own agendas.”

The Islamic Party also voiced support for unity bids.

“We have been pressing for unity, though our differences emerge from our way of tackling the pressing issues,” said Nassir Ayef, the party's politburo member.

The Islamic Party, the main Sunni political party, joined the now defunct Governing Council which was formed by the occupation authority.

After announcing it would vie in the January 31 general election, the party quit the election race weeks before the vote over aggravating insecurity.

It has, however, signaled readiness to cooperate in drafting the country’s new constitution, to be worded by the interim National Assembly.

The AMS, the highest Sunni religious authority in Iraq, has been rejecting any form of cooperation with the US-led occupation or its proxies.

The majority of Sunnis did not cast ballots in the January 31 election, after boycott calls championed by the AMS.

Members of the interim National Assembly elected Wednesday, April 6, Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani as the country's president, paving the way for the creation of a new government in the war-torn country.

Outgoing Sunni president Ghazi Al-Yawar and incumbent Shiite Finance Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi were also named by the 275-seat legislature as vice presidents.