Baghdad, Iraq – Iraq’s embattled prime minister defended his government Sunday against American critics, saying they underestimate the problems facing his country and fail to appreciate his achievements “such as stopping the civil and sectarian war.”
Criticism of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s leadership has been growing in the run-up to this month’s series of reports to Congress on political and security progress since President Bush dispatched nearly 30,000 more U.S. troops to Iraq.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, have called for al-Maliki to be replaced.
“Regrettably, these statements made by U.S. officials sometimes exceed reasonable limits and at the same time send regrettable messages which help terrorists think that the security situation in the country is weak and the political forces are not cohesive,” al-Maliki told reporters.
He added that critics are sending “negative messages that encourage terrorism.”
“Maybe they don’t know the size of the destruction that Iraq passed through and the big role of the Iraqi government and its achievements such as stopping the civil and sectarian war,” al-Maliki said.
During an interview broadcast Sunday by Iraqi state television, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker also urged patience with the Iraqis as they try to reach power- sharing agreements among Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.
“After 35 years of injustice under Saddam Hussein, there are some problems since liberation, and the problems of 40 years cannot be solved in a year or two,” Crocker said, speaking in Arabic. “What is important is that there is progress.”
A draft report still under review at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad includes allegations that the al-Maliki government is riddled with corruption and has, in some cases, sought to derail or prevent investigations into alleged graft by Shiite-controlled agencies or allied officials, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the findings.
The draft report by the Office of Accountability and Transparency has yet to be reviewed by senior diplomats.
Al-Maliki’s boast of “stopping” the war may fall short of the facts, but it reflects the frustration of Iraqi officials who believe congressional critics are pushing for political goals that are unrealistic given the depth of political and social divisions.
