Bush to hold separate talks with Shiites, Sunnis

updated 1:07 p.m. ET Dec. 1, 2006

WASHINGTON - President Bush will meet with one of Iraq's most powerful Shiite politicians on Monday in a continued bid to find a new approach to ending sectarian violence that is pulling at the seams of the nation. Then, in January, the president will meet with the Sunni vice president of Iraq, a senior administration official said Friday.

On Monday, Bush will meet with Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the United Iraqi Alliance — the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament, said National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

"President Bush looks forward to an exchange of views and a discussion of important issues facing Iraq today," Johndroe said.

Next month, Bush will meet with a Sunni leader — Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, according to a senior administration official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The Sunni leader has said that he wants to see al-Maliki's government dissolved and replaced with a new coalition with guarantees that ensure collective decision-making.

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