Iraq

(AP) Maliki's "emergency conference" appears to have transformed itself into a casual lunch. Not too much accomplished, but Sunni Dulaimi did lower the rhetoric after an unspecified release of detainees.

(FT) "Mr Talabani on Tuesday hosted a lunch attended by 50 members of various political groups. He said the meeting was “very friendly” and would pave the way for further meetings. But it was still unclear when the proposed summit would take place or whether key Sunni Arab leaders would attend."

(AFP) Allawi goes public in his efforts to replace Maliki.

(McClatchy) "U.S. officials say the number of civilian casualties in the capital is down 50 percent. But U.S. officials declined to provide specific numbers, and statistics gathered by McClatchy Newspapers don't support the claim." (Also a bleak prognostication by officers on the ground.)

(IHT) "U.S. general says 15-month Army rotations in Iraq, Afghanistan, to continue into next summer."

And, just as a curious aside. When Maliki met and held hands Ahmadinejad in Iran recently, that meeting took place on the day Iran celebrates its victory over (Sunni) Iraq in their 8 year war. (Just an odd bit of Shia diplomatic symbolism.)