Sunni Arab leaders formed an alliance to fight Iraq’s next elections on Wednesday, as the US death toll marched past 2,000 and intensified pressure on Washington. Three Sunni parties joined a coalition to contest the December 15 parliamentary poll, after Sunni opposition narrowly failed to veto a new, US-backed constitution in a referendum. “We call upon all Iraqis to participate actively in the elections and not listen to calls for boycotts,” the new alliance, called the Iraqi Accord Front, said in a statement. US and Iraqi officials are likely to welcome the move, but it is not clear if the group has much sway over hardline Sunni insurgents. The US military, which on Tuesday marked the 2,000th American death since the 2003 invasion, on Wednesday announced another soldier had died, in a vehicle accident in southern Iraq. The rise of the US death toll has piled pressure on President George W. Bush to show progress in Iraq, with growing numbers of US voters sceptical about the direction of the war. The referendum result is one boost for Washington, opening the way for an election the US hopes will mark Iraq’s emergence as a n ally capable of handling its own security, removing the need for US troops. Some Sunni leaders said their failure to block the constitution would spur a new political campaign to force Washington to withdraw. “Our message to the American administration is clear: get out of Iraq or set a timetable for withdrawal or the resistance will keep slaughtering your soldiers until Judgment Day,” said Hussein al-Falluji, a prominent Sunni who took part in the constitution talks. Also Wednesday, Saddam Hussein’s lawyers said they were suspending all contact with the special tribunal set up to try him, fearing for their lives after the murder of a colleague last week. It was unclear what impact the announcement would have on the case, though it seemed certain to fuel doubts raised by human rights groups over the fairness of the proceedings.
