WASHINGTON, April 21 (Xinhua) -- The political vacuum in Baghdad is hindering rebuilding efforts in Iraq at provincial and local levels, a U.S. commander in that country said Friday.

    Speaking via video-teleconference with reporters at the Pentagon, David Gray, commander of the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division, said the failure of Iraqi political leaders to form a national government has made it harder to resolve problems at the local level.

    Gray said Iraq's provincial and local political authorities who should be making important decisions to settle ethnic and economic issues are instead taking a "wait-and-see" attitude until the central government is established.

    "Until a national government is seated, there are a whole host of issues that really will require the constitution to be in effect and then laws passed" to implement measures at the provincial and local level, he said.

    Meanwhile, the White House said it expects the latest political developments in Iraq will lead to significant progress in forming a permanent government, with the Iraqi parliament meeting Saturday to act on the top seven leadership posts.

    "We hope to see good progress in the coming days," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

    In Baghdad, there seems to be progress Friday toward forming a unity government.

    Shiite politicians agreed to nominate Jawad al-Maliki as prime minister, replacing the incumbent Ibrahim al-Jaafari, whose nomination had sparked sharp opposition from Sunni Arab and Kurdish leaders and caused a four-month deadlock. Enditem