Is there a backroom involved?

I suspect that there is more going on than the usual ethnic-religious split between Sunnis and Shiites in the recent call for a delay in the Iraqi elections scheduled for January. This goes beyond the Sunni scholars of the Muslim Clerics' Association calling for a boycott or the threat of the Iraqi Islamic Party, the largest Sunni political party, to boycott the elections if they go ahead as now planned.

Consider that on Friday, CNN reported that among those who signed the call for the delay were

- Adnan Pachachi, an influential, moderate Sunni leader and former presidential candidate, who is seen as an Iraqi elder statesman and is closely allied to Washington. His level of respect is such that he was the UN' preferred choice for the Iraqi presidency.

- Three interim government ministers.

- Representatives from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the two main Kurdish groups. Their involvement is significant because they have been allied with the US, they are secular parties, and the Kurds' own regional elections were also scheduled for January 30.

In addition, CNN reported the next day that Rasim al-Awadi, secretary-general of the National Accord Party - Iyad Allawi's party - had also signed the call.

A total of 17 political parties and groups signed the petition, which joined Sunni parties with secular parties for the first time.

Not surprisingly, Reuters reported on Friday that

42 Shi'ite and Turkmen parties, including the influential Dawa Party and Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), said a postponement [of the election] would be illegal.

Now, at first sight, this still appears to be much the same schism as has concerned some people for some time: On the one hand, a long-suppressed Shiite majority, looking forward eagerly to "democracy," understood not to mean "majority rule with minority rights" but "majority rule, period." On the other, Sunni and Kurdish minorities look forward with dread to the same prospect.

But I still suspect it's both that and a step beyond. Pachachi's deep involvement (the meeting was held at his house) says this was a carefully-considered step, which could presage further cooperation between Sunnis and Kurds in the future. More importantly, what was Awadi doing there? Does this indicate dissent with Allawi's party? Or is it perhaps a bit of positioning for a post-election, perhaps post-Allawi position in the party?

I admit I don't know. But it does appear clear to me that events have moved one step past the expected Shiite-Sunni divisions.