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Bush,
al-Maliki meet in Jordan, Shiite Cleric Boycott Iraqi Government |
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Source : USA Today | Ny Times |
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Bush, al-Maliki meet in Jordan, Shiite
Cleric Boycott Iraqi Government
30.11.2006
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AMMAN, Jordan ,
-- President Bush said Thursday that success in Iraq
depends on the success of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki,
wrapping up high-level talks with his Iraqi
counterpart.
"Our objective is to help the Maliki government
succeed," Bush said after the meeting, especially
plans to transfer security responsibility to the
Iraq government. Bush also said he agrees with
Maliki that Iraq should not be partitioned into
separate zones for Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds.
The two leaders called their talks positive, despite
last-minute scheduling changes and a parliamentary
protest of the summit back in Baghdad.
Maliki said his government is developing Iraq
security plans that will be "effective" and "deliver
what is required." He said he agreed with Bush on
the need to accelerate the transfer of security
responsibility to the Iraq government.
Bush said of Maliki: "I expressed my concern about
the security situation — he expressed his concern
about the security situation."
The president also said people should discount
suggestions that the U.S. is planning a "graceful
exit" from Iraq, and that American troops will stay
there "until the job is complete.' Bush also called
Maliki "the right guy for Iraq."
Maliki is under pressure at home, where 30 Iraqi
lawmakers and six Cabinet members loyal to anti-U.S.
Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr walked out of the
parliament Wednesday to protest the Bush meeting.
The departure of the Sadr followers from the halls
of power here — 30 parliamentarians and six
ministers — raises questions about the viability of
the fragile coalition government, made up of feuding
blocs of religious Shiites, religious Sunni Arabs,
Kurds and secularists. |
President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister
Nouri Maliki shake hands after a joint press
conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Amman,
Jordan. 29 Nov 2006
Photo:AFP
Anti-U.S. Iraqi Shiite
cleric Muqtada al-Sadr |
It is unclear what immediate effect Mr. Sadr’s
boycott will have on Mr. Maliki and the government.
At the urging of senior ayatollahs, the religious
Shiite bloc that dominates the government is
expected to stay together despite the walkout,
though the balance of power within it would change
drastically if Mr. Sadr were to prolong his boycott.
An extended absence by Mr. Sadr could ignite a
bitter struggle for leadership among the top Shiite
politicians.
Bahaa al-Aaraji, a leader of the Sadr legislators,
said the Sadr organization had two conditions for
rejoining the government: That Mr. Maliki wrest more
control of the Iraqi security forces from the
Americans and increase their number, and that the
government provide more electricity, gas and other
basic services to the people.
The Bush administration has urged al-Maliki's
fledgling government to take action against militias
responsible for escalating violence. Al-Maliki has
struggled to exert control over security forces and
reduce sectarian violence.
White House counselor Dan Bartlett said the
cancellation of the three-way meeting with Bush, al-Maliki
and Abdullah was not a snub.
But Charles Pena, an analyst with the Independent
Institute, said pressure from anti-U.S. forces in
Iraq and the publication of a classified memo from
national security adviser Stephen Hadley criticizing
al-Maliki may have prompted the Iraqi leader to send
Bush a message by skipping the meeting.
The memo is "the sort of thing that leaders get
upset about," Pena said.
White House spokesman Tony Snow would not comment on
the memo, which was published in The New York Times,
but did not question its authenticity. The state of
Iraq "suggests Maliki is either ignorant of what is
going on, misrepresenting his intentions or that his
capabilities are not yet sufficient to turn his good
intentions into actions," said Hadley's memo,
according to the Times.
In Iraq, the walkout by al-Sadr's bloc positions the
cleric to potentially bring down al-Maliki's
government in a "clever bit of political
brinksmanship," said Vali Nasr, a Shiite expert at
the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.
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