Former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, center, is flanked by members of the newly formed Iraqi National Alliance at a news conference in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Aug. 24, 2009. Major Shiite groups have formed a new alliance that will exclude the Iraqi prime minister, lawmakers said Monday, a move likely to stoke fears of increasing Iranian influence and shake up the political landscape ahead of January parliamentary elections.(AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)