Iraqi Shia bloc rejects Saudi offer (Expect unprecedented escalation in Beirut!)

"... The National Alliance, Iraq's main Shia bloc, has turned down a Saudi offer to host all-party talks to resolve months of deadlock over forming a new Iraqi government. The offer was turned down on Sunday after some politicians voiced fears over foreign interference. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah had a day earlier volunteered to host the talks in November.The National Alliance, a coalition of Shia blocs, including that of incumbent prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki's coalition, said that a deal in Baghdad was close after the highest court ordered parliament to resume sessions last week........ According to a senior member of al-Maliki's bloc, the Kurdish Alliance also supports this statement.....A spokeswoman for the rival Iraqiya list, led by Iyad Allawi, the former prime minister, however, welcomed the Saudi monarch's initiative. ......he enjoys strong support among Sunni Arabs, who were dominant during Saddam Hussein's rule....."