BAGHDAD: The five months of wrangling it took to form an Iraqi unity government after December’s election was the easy part. Parliamentary approval on Saturday for Nuri al-Maliki’s cabinet marked the beginning of what some see as an almost impossible journey to pull Iraq out of mayhem three years after US forces invaded to topple Saddam Hussein.

Maliki himself is the first to acknowledge that a bumpy road lies ahead, while most of his ministers put a brave face on the tough challenges ahead and pledged to tackle them head-on.

They must combat rampant violence and corruption and somehow lure investors into the country to rebuild an economy shattered by wars and sanctions, with more than 4 million people living in extreme poverty, according to a UN-backed study.

One of the most difficult tasks for the national unity government will be to heal the wounds among ordinary Iraqis, now living in society marked by mistrust and suspicion.

“Iraq is at a pivotal point. The next 6-8 months will set the stage for this country to succeed or not,” said a US official in Baghdad.

“If that doesn’t happen Iraq will face many challenges for many, many years to come. The glass is half-full,” he said.

Iraq has been lurching from one crisis to another since 2003, with mounting sectarian violence sparking fears of a full-blown civil war between minority Sunnis and majority Shias.

Hundreds of people are killed every month in Baghdad alone, with rival groups accusing each other of running death squads, carrying out bombings and kidnappings.

Maliki, who comes from the powerful Shia Alliance bloc, was under heavy pressure to please Shias, Sunnis and Kurdish blocs, all fighting for jobs and power in the new government.

He faced most difficulties from within his own 18-party bloc, which several times came close to splitting during the talks. Only pressure from top Shia religious leaders held it together.

A small but influential party, Fadhila (Virtue), still pulled out of the talks in protest at losing the oil ministry — a powerful post in a country with the world’s third-largest oil reserves.

Stating his priorities for the next four years, Mr Maliki told parliament he would launch a plan for national reconciliation.

But in a clear sign of how difficult it will be to bring the country together, Mr Maliki was forced to announce his cabinet without the sensitive defence and interior ministry portfolios.

The two key jobs will be filled later after rival blocs vetoed each other’s proposals. Failure to agree on the jobs within a self-imposed deadline of a week may plunge the government into an early crisis.

During negotiations, Sunnis rejected the Shia candidate for interior minister, while Shias and Kurds turned down the Sunni candidate for defence.

“Sunnis and Shias have to step out of their sectarian vision. The possibility is there. That’s why I don’t despair,” a Western diplomat said.

“There’s a lot of problems but it’s quite possible to see a way through this if you have the right government and the right degree of cooperation within the government,” he added.

US officials say creating jobs and boosting the economy will also be crucial for defusing a raging insurgency that has killed thousands of Iraqis and at least 2,450 US soldiers.

Sunni insurgent attacks, smuggling and corruption have crippled oil exports and left Iraqis queuing for hours at gas stations.

Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani said in his first remarks after being sworn in that his main task would be fighting corruption. But, he cautioned, the situation would not change for the better overnight.

Basic services such as electricity, water treatment and sewerage are operating at or below pre-war levels.

Apart from improving security, Iraqis hope Mr Maliki’s government will be able to give them more than a few hours of electricity each day.

“Even with the formation of this government, tremendous challenges still lay ahead,” said Zalmay Khalilzad, US Ambassador to Iraq.—Reuters