Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Al-Maliki refuses timetable for national reconciliation
Politics, Security
(KUNA) - Al-Maliki announced during a June 18 press conference that Iraq will not accept a timetable imposed on it to achieve national reconciliation, KUNA reported the same day. Al-Maliki's statements were seen as a response to comments from U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on June 16, in which he said Washington is disappointed with the Iraqi government's efforts at fostering national reconciliation.
Al-Maliki stressed that only his government can impose any sort of timetable on the reconciliation process. "We set timetables based on humanitarian and national considerations," al-Maliki said. "Our priority comes in sensing the suffering of citizens, which forces us to set time tables and executable solutions for citizens."
Labels: national reconciliation, Nouri Al-Maliki, Robert Gates
