* Maliki tours region, seeks backing in govt formation
* Wants balance in relations with Iran, Arab neighbours
By Aseel Kami
BAGHDAD, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Iraq's Shi'ite prime minister is touring capitals in the region, many of which fear he could alienate Iraq's Sunnis and give Iran too much influence, in search of support for his bid to form a new government.
The lack of a new government seven months after an inconclusive election has sparked concerns of a spike in violence just as the sectarian slaughter triggered after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion recedes and U.S forces start to withdraw.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has so far only won clear backing from a Shi'ite group with links to Iran.
He has reached out to the cross-sectarian, Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc that topped the March vote, but Iraqiya leaders have so far refused to join a Maliki-led government.
Iraq's Arab neighbours and the United States are worried about Shi'ite Iran's growing regional influence and want Maliki to include Iraqiya bloc in a power-sharing deal to counter this.
Iraqiya's leader, former prime minister Iyad Allawi, says excluding his alliance could lead to sectarian bloodshed.
Saad al-Hadithi, a politics professor in Baghdad's University, said Maliki's goal was to ease concerns among countries like Syria, which have had reservations about him remaining in power.
"(The trip) is an attempt ... to gain the support of these countries and ease reservations and disagreement with some of the countries," he said.
Maliki flew to Syria last week seeking to improve sour relations with Damascus, was in Jordan on Sunday and was due in Tehran on Monday.
Later this month he is expected to visit Turkey, a major trading partner and investor which has emerged as a key mediator since Iraq's election and broader supporter of Sunni interests in the region.
The prime minister is also expected in Egypt, which has played a traditional role as a mediator in Arab diplomacy.
His one-day trip to Iran has heightened concerns about Iran's growing regional clout and influence over Iraq, particularly after Maliki won backing from anti-U.S. Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
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In a speech this month, Maliki accused unnamed Iraqi neighbours of trying to influence the formation of a new government, and called on his political rivals to join all-inclusive talks.
Few details of what Maliki planned to discuss during his visits throughout the region were available, though Ali al-Adeeb, a senior member of Maliki's alliance, said: "We do not want any country to intervene in Iraq's internal affairs. It will only make the situation more complicated."
Arab nations want Maliki to form a national unity government that would include his Shi'ite allies and Iraqiya, which won 91 seats in March and is backed by many Sunnis.
Maliki's party took 89 and the prime minister's Shi'ite ally Sadr, 39, leaving them short of the 163 votes needed for a majority in Iraq's 325-seat parliament. That has forced Maliki to seek support from Kurdish groups who have 56 seats.
The oil-rich semi-autonomous north is now in the role of kingmaker, potentially enjoying greater leverage in negotiations about oil wealth generated in Kurdish areas. (Writing by Maria Golovnina; additional reporting by Hashem Kalantari in Tehran; Editing by Jon Boyle)
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