BAGHDAD Iraq’s prime minister said Monday he expects the U.S. ambassador and military commander to give his government favorable marks when they report to Congress next week.

Al-Maliki also said his government was making progress on the political front and had submitted to parliament legislation that would ease restrictions on members of Saddam Hussein’s ousted regime and return more Sunnis to government jobs.

Although he acknowledged that conditions could be better, he expressed confidence that “positive developments” in Iraq would be reflected in the report that U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Army Gen. David Petraeus, are due to present to Congress next week.

“I expect that the positive developments will be, for sure, reflected in the report to Congress on Sept. 15,” al-Maliki said.

U.S. officials in Iraq and Washington have said the troop buildup ordered by President Bush in January is starting to yield results, and they increasingly have put the blame for the continued bloodshed on Iraq’s fractious political leaders.

The bill that would allow senior Baath Party members who did not commit crimes back into government jobs is one of a series of measures that U.S. officials consider crucial to reconcile the country’s warring sides.

But followers of influential cleric Muqtada al- Sadr, who make up one of the two largest blocs in al- Maliki’s governing Shiite Muslim alliance, have said they would oppose any easing of the ban. It appeared unlikely the bill would clear parliament before Crocker and Petraeus present their assessment.

Despite weeks of backroom wrangling, there is still no sign of agreement on the other issues that U.S. officials consider key, including the distribution of oil revenue, a slate of constitutional amendments and a date for delayed provincial elections.

Al-Maliki’s government was thrown into disarray by the withdrawal of nearly half of his 37-member Cabinet, including ministers from the largest Sunni Arab faction. Al- Maliki told reporters Monday that he still hoped to persuade the Sunnis to come back, and that he would announce replacements for the departing Shiite ministers within a week.

Also Monday, the U.S. command said an American soldier was killed and three others injured when a roadside bomb blew up next to their patrol on Sunday outside of Baghdad. No further details were released.