Iraq warns it ‘can find friends elsewhere’
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki warned the Bush administration after talks with longtime U.S. adversaries in Syria on Wednesday that Iraq “can find friends elsewhere” if Washington doesn’t like the way he runs his country.
Al-Maliki’s defiant rhetoric followed criticism from the White House and congressional leaders in recent days of the leader’s ability to unite his Cabinet and improve stability.
Together with his recent overtures to Iran and Syria, it raised questions about his diplomatic priorities and sensitivity to U.S. concerns about two neighboring countries Washington accuses of supporting terrorism.
“No one has the right to place timetables on the Iraq government. It was elected by its people,” al-Maliki said in Damascus, where he is making a three-day visit. “Those who make such statements are bothered by our visit to Syria. We will pay no attention. We care for our people and our constitution, and can find friends elsewhere.”
Al-Maliki said the criticism from the United States was motivated by election politics.
Washington’s relations with both Syria and Iran, where al-Maliki paid an official visit earlier this month, are severely strained. Although U.S. officials have put a positive spin on al-Maliki’s Syria trip as necessary nurturing of regional relations, Washington has accused Damascus of looking the other way as weapons and foreign militants have flooded across the border into Iraq.
Leaders in both Syria and Iran used al-Maliki’s visits to demand that Iraq set a timetable for U.S. forces to withdraw, and to blame the American presence for drawing in foreign militants and destabilizing the region.
The summits also involved what all participants described as cordial discussions about border security, strengthening regional alliances and economic interests.
During al-Maliki’s Aug. 8-9 visit to Tehran, he and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared before cameras holding hands and pledging joint efforts at fighting terrorism.
U.S. political and military leaders accuse Iran of arming and training Shiite militias that have been wreaking havoc in Iraq. Sectarian violence in Iraq has claimed tens of thousands of lives in recent months and displaced millions.
The Pentagon also accuses Iran of providing armor-piercing munitions to Iraqi insurgents.
Al-Maliki’s opponents have complained about his focus on foreign policy at a time when vital legislation languishes and sectarian differences have set his Cabinet ministers against each other.
If the Iraqi government doesn’t respond to the demands of the Iraqi people, President Bush said Tuesday, “they will replace the government.”
The White House appeared to step back from that message Wednesday. Bush praised al-Maliki as “a good guy” with a tough job who deserved U.S. backing.
National-security spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Bush felt his comments Tuesday were “misreported.” He said that the Iraqi prime minister “knows we’re frustrated” but also that Bush continues to support him.
Joost Hiltermann, of the International Crisis Group, said he doubted Bush’s criticism of al-Maliki was inspired by the prospect of closer ties between Iraq and its neighbors. More likely, he said, the administration was preparing Americans for a disappointing assessment of the Iraqi government’s performance when Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker report to Congress in mid-September.
“Washington is frustrated with (al-) Maliki, but the problem is rooted in the absence of a credible political framework to build a peace process around. As a result, we are entering a period of passing the blame,” said Vali Nasr, a senior fellow in Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.