Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

    BAGHDAD, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi president and prime minister announced Thursday a new alliance of moderate Shiites and Kurds, saying the door is open for Sunnis and others to join the group.

    Talabani, a Kurd and Maliki, a Shiite were joined by the leader of the northern autonomous Kurdish region, Massoud Barzani, and Shiite Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi.

    The four leaders signed a three-page agreement of the new alliance, which aimed at giving a push to the political stand off of the Shiite dominated government after pull out of almost half of Maliki's cabinet members.

    "This agreement represents a first step which would leave the door opened for whoever would agree with us to allow a movement for the political process," Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said in a news conference.

    Maliki also called for Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi and his Accordance Front to return to the government after the Sunni bloc withdrew its Deputy Prime Minister and five ministers from Maliki's government.

    Talabani, for his part, said that Hashimi and his bloc refused to join the new alliance but "the invitation is still open to the mand they are welcome at any time."

    "This is an initiative (for others to join) and not a new axisbecause there is a problem in the political process," Mahdi fromthe powerful Shiite party of the Supreme Islamic Council, lead byAbdul Aziz al-Hakim.

    "We want to unify them all (the political parties) to give thepolitical process a push," Mahdi added.