BAGHDAD, Dec 16: The Iraqi prime minister stressed on Saturday that the national army has opened its doors to former members of Saddam Hussein’s army as the government seeks help in curbing the rampant violence in the country.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also offered an olive branch to former members of Saddam’s outlawed Baath Party not found to be involved in crimes against Iraqis.

His comments came as the Iraqi government convened a national reconciliation conference aimed at rallying ethnic, religious and political groups around a common strategy for handling Iraq’s problems.

But the gathering was overshadowed by rising sectarian tensions and political divisions as al-Maliki’s 7-month-old government faces growing dissent by coalition partners, including Shia allies like radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Al-Sadr’s bloc and the Sunni National Association of Muslim Scholars said they would not attend the gathering.

Some Baath Party members not linked to the Sunni-led insurgency, as well as former army officers, were among the delegates, organizers said.

Al-Maliki reached out to the officers and soldiers who lost their posts after the US-led invasion that ousted Saddam nearly four years ago.

He imposed few conditions on the return of former military personnel, only cautioning that those allowed to serve in the new army should be loyal to the country and conduct themselves professionally.

He also said the size of the army might limit the number accepted but those unable to join would be given pensions.

“The new Iraqi army has opened its doors for members of the former army, officers and soldiers, and the national unity government is prepared to absorb those who have the desire to serve the nation,” al-Maliki said.

He said the government needed “their energies, expertise and skills in order to complete the building of our armed forces”.

Former troops already have the option of joining the army, but the outreach and pension offer was an apparent concession to a long-standing demand by Sunni Arab politicians who argue that the neglect of former army soldiers was spreading discontent and pushing them into the arms of the insurgency.

Al-Maliki also called on parliament to review the “de-Baathification” clauses in the constitution adopted last year to ensure what he called the rights of the families of those sacked from government jobs for their membership of the Baath.

The two-day conference is being held at the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, a large swath of land that’s home to the Iraqi government offices as well as the US and British embassies. Nasir al-Ani, a spokesman for the conference, said “very few” of the opposition leaders living in exile and invited to attend showed up.

Al-Sadr’s bloc also held a separate news conference to announce the cleric’s movement would not attend the conference and would continue its boycott of parliament unless their demand for the withdrawal of US-led troops is met. Spokesman Firas al-Mitairi also criticised the conference because Sunni extremists and Baathists had been invited to attend.—AP