Saturday, November 25, 2006
Bush - Maliki meeting likely to go ahead despite Sadr threat
Politics
President Bush is sticking to his plan to hold a summit in Jordan next week with the head of Iraq, despite threats from radical Shiites to boycott parliament if Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki goes. In Baghdad, followers of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr warned they would suspend their membership in the Iraqi parliament and cabinet if al-Maliki kept his appointment with Bush in Amman on Wednesday and Thursday. That put al-Maliki in a difficult position because he needs the support of both Bush and al-Sadr.
The al-Sadr bloc in parliament and government is the backbone of al-Maliki's political support, and its withdrawal, if only temporarily, would be a severe blow to the prime minister's already shaky hold on power. A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly about the two leaders' meeting, said the president does not expect that al-Sadr's threat to withdraw from the Iraqi government will prompt al-Maliki to cancel his meeting with Bush.
The al-Sadr bloc in parliament and government is the backbone of al-Maliki's political support, and its withdrawal, if only temporarily, would be a severe blow to the prime minister's already shaky hold on power. A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly about the two leaders' meeting, said the president does not expect that al-Sadr's threat to withdraw from the Iraqi government will prompt al-Maliki to cancel his meeting with Bush.
His meeting with al-Maliki next week comes as a special high-level commission, headed by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, is mulling recommendations for possible changes in U.S. policy in Iraq. It is expected to make its findings known sometime next month.Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Mark Ballesteros said Friday that al-Maliki's government remains steadfast despite the violence. "The government of Iraq is intent on restoring order and maintaining security throughout Baghdad," Ballesteros said.
Defense analyst Dan Goure, with the northern Virginia-based Lexington Group, said the spiraling violence may mean that the Bush administration will have to take a hard line with al-Maliki. "We've been trying to bring along a stable Iraqi government and that may not be possible," Goure said. Instead, he said, the U.S. may need to impose order, and "it may be that that order may have to be one that favors certain groups." He said Bush may have to tell Maliki next week that either he suppresses the violence or the U.S. will withdraw support for him.
Defense analyst Dan Goure, with the northern Virginia-based Lexington Group, said the spiraling violence may mean that the Bush administration will have to take a hard line with al-Maliki. "We've been trying to bring along a stable Iraqi government and that may not be possible," Goure said. Instead, he said, the U.S. may need to impose order, and "it may be that that order may have to be one that favors certain groups." He said Bush may have to tell Maliki next week that either he suppresses the violence or the U.S. will withdraw support for him.
