Iraq reconciliation talks hit by walkouts

By Waleed Ibrahim and Mohammed Abbas

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A conference to reconcile Iraq's rival political parties fell apart almost as soon as it began on Tuesday, with influential Sunni and Shi'ite blocs pulling out in protest.

Hundreds of politicians gathered for the conference a day after U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, on a visit marking the fifth anniversary of the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion, hailed what he called "phenomenal" political and security improvements.

The war has cost the United States $500 billion since it began. Tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed and millions displaced. Almost 4,000 U.S. soldiers have also been killed in the war, a major issue in November's U.S. presidential election.

The boycott by the Sunni Arab Accordance Front, the Shi'ite bloc led by cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and smaller groups underlined that while Iraq is no longer on the verge of a sectarian civil war, there are still deep divisions between Iraq's main sects.

Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki accused the groups of seeking to damage Iraq's reconciliation efforts.

"We seriously regret that others will only stand watching, and others try to bring down political progress and hamper the work of the government at a time when their patriotic duty requires them to help the government," he said.

Maliki is under pressure from Washington to reach political accommodation with opponents that will cement the fragile security gains. The gathering -- held just two days before the fifth anniversary of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion -- was intended to give renewed impetus to the reconciliation.

U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain, speaking in Jordan after visiting Iraq, said the recent buildup of U.S. troops was succeeding and any early military withdrawal would dramatically boost Iranian influence in the region.