[NYTr] Iraqi PM Lashes Out at US Critics

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

AP via Yahoo - Aug 22, 2007  12:26 pm EDT
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070822/ap_on_re_mi_ea/syria_iraq

Iraqi PM lashes out at U.S. critics

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA
Associated Press Writer

Iraq's prime minister lashed out Wednesday at U.S. criticism, saying no
one has the right to impose timetables on his elected government and
that his country "can find friends elsewhere."

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki blamed the U.S. presidential campaign
for the recent tough words about his government — from President Bush
and from other U.S. politicians.

Bush on Tuesday said he was frustrated with Iraqi leaders' inability to
bridge political divisions. But he added that only the Iraqi people can
decide whether to sideline al-Maliki.

"Clearly, the Iraqi government's got to do more," Bush said. "I think
there's a certain level of frustration with the leadership in general,
inability to work — come together to get, for example, an oil revenue
law passed or provincial elections."

On Wednesday, however, Bush scrambled to show he had not abandoned
al-Maliki, wary of how his comments the day before had been widely
interpreted.

"Prime Minister Maliki's a good guy, good man with a difficult job and
I support him," Bush said in a speech to military veterans.

"And it's not up to the politicians in Washington, D.C., to say whether
he will remain in his position," Bush said. "It is up to the Iraqi
people who now live in a democracy and not a dictatorship."

Al-Maliki, on a trip to Syria, reacted harshly when asked about the
earlier comments from U.S. officials.

"No one has the right to place timetables on the Iraq government. It
was elected by its people," he said at a news conference in Damascus at
the end of the three-day visit to Syria.

"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.

Without naming any American official, al-Maliki said some of the
criticism of him and his government had been "discourteous."

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said Monday that al-Maliki, a Shiite, should
be ousted and replaced with a less-sectarian leader.

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said he was disappointed and
frustrated by the lack of political progress by al-Maliki's government.
Crocker said the Iraqis themselves and Iraqi leaders were also
frustrated.

The harsh exchanges erupted just a few weeks before Crocker and the
U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, are to report to Congress
on military and political progress in Iraq.

The two are expected to point to some signs of military progress in
Iraq. But the political situation in Iraq remains fractured, with wide
distrust between Shiite and Sunni factions and no progress by
al-Maliki's government on key issues.

Bush's statement on Tuesday was a marked change in tone from his
endorsement of al-Maliki in November 2006 at a meeting in Jordan as
"the right guy for Iraq."

In recent months, Bush has continually prodded al-Maliki to do more to
forge political reconciliation before the temporary U.S. military
buildup ends. But his statements Tuesday were the sharpest he has made
about whether the Iraqi prime minister will survive.

"The fundamental question is, Will the government respond to the
demands of the people?" Bush said. "And, if the government doesn't
demand — or respond to the demands of the people, they will replace the
government. That's up to the Iraqis to make that decision, not American
politicians."

Al-Maliki has faced numerous defections from his ruling coalition in
recent months. Nevertheless, it is unclear that any group has the
political pull to push him aside and put in place a new government.

Ousting al-Maliki would require a majority vote in the 275-member Iraqi
parliament. As long as the Kurdish parties and the main Shiite bloc
stand beside al-Maliki, his opponents lack the votes to do that.

Any change in leadership also would also greatly complicate U.S.
military efforts to stabilize the country, especially if the change
resulted in the government falling and negotiations to create a new
government. The process of forming al-Maliki's government took months
of wrangling as the Sunni insurgency and Shiite militias gathered
strength and influence. 

[Associated Press Writer Robert H. Reid contributed to this report.]

Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved