Officials from the Sunni-backed slate that won more seats than any other party in Iraq’s March 7 parliamentary elections said Monday that they would probably lift their boycott of Maliki and support the controversial Shiite leader for another term if their candidate becomes president and the powers of that traditionally ceremonial job are expanded…

With Maliki and secular Shiite Ayad Allawi sharing power, the government would represent both Iraq’s Sunni and Shiite Arab votes. Much of the support for Allawi’s faction came from Iraq’s Sunni Arabs…

Iraqiya had yet to officially meet with members of Maliki’s State of Law bloc, Shiite and Iraqiya legislators said Monday. But Maliki seemed to be open to the proposal, one Shiite legislator from within the National Alliance said. The two sides expect to discuss the arrangement after Allawi’s planned return Tuesday from a visit to Cairo.