Iraq's Allawi Says Will Join Maliki Government

Iyad Allawi's Iraqiya coalition won the most seats in Iraq's March elections.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi says he will join Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's new cabinet.

Maliki is set to unveil his cabinet in parliament on December 20.

Though Allawi's Al-Iraqiyah coalition has won the most seats in Iraq's March election, it could not manage to form the government.

Allawi's decision cleared another potential hurdle in long negotiations between Iraq's Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish political blocs in their effort to form a new government.

The participation of Allawi and Al-Iraqiyah coalition could help ease concern about renewed bloodshed as Iraq emerges from years of war and U.S. troops withdraw completely by the end of 2011.

compiled from Reuters reports