Harith al-Obeidi  Iraq's most influential Sunni politician
Harith al-Obeidi, who has been murdered aged 47, headed Iraq's
largest Sunni Muslim parliamentary bloc, and was a man many
hoped might broker peace between disparate communities. Most
believe his killer belonged to al-Qaida or another Sunni group
dedicated to wiping out all Sunni "collaborators".  Obeidi
became head of the National Accord Front (al-Tawafuq) in April
2009 after its former leader, Iyad al-Samarrai, became speaker
of Iraq's parliament, the council of representatives. Obeidi's
power base was the general council for the people of Iraq. He
was first elected to parliament in December 2005. Before that
Sunni politicians had boycotted the legislature because, after
the US invasion, their community had been demoted in favour of
Shias and Kurds.  Obeidi was a professor with a doctorate in
Islamic studies. Just three months before the 2005 elections US
troops had raided his home, yet, by January 2006, he was
demanding that kidnappers release the