Baghdad, Iraq – The incoming prime minister told neighboring nations in an interview televised Tuesday not to interfere in Iraq, while expressing gratitude to them for sheltering dissidents during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Jawad al-Maliki made the comment during an interview with Iraqi state television, his first since he was tapped three days ago to form a new government.
In a show of support for al-Maliki and Iraq’s emerging government, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived in the capital unannounced today for meetings with the newly selected leaders.
Rumsfeld was expected to not only congratulate the Iraqis on breaking a deadlock over selection of a prime minister and other top political positions, but also to reinforce the Bush administration’s message that the Iraqis should not expect U.S. forces to remain indefinitely.
In his televised remarks on Tuesday, al-Maliki, a Shiite who spent years in exile in Syria, thanked Iran, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey for sheltering Hussein’s opponents.
But he added that such gratitude did not mean Iraqis would tolerate “security interference” or involvement with “certain movements inside Iraq.” His remarks appeared directed primarily at Shiite-dominated Iran, which sheltered Iraqi Shiite groups that now wield great political influence here, and at Syria, which has been accused of harboring Hussein loyalists directing the Sunni insurgency.
