SYRIA: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki hits back at U.S. criticism of his government's performance

Record ID: 279669

  • Title: SYRIA: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki hits back at U.S. criticism of his government's performance
  • Date: 22nd August 2007
  • Summary: (W3) DAMASCUS, SYRIA (AUGUST 22, 2007) (REUTERS) IRAQI PRIME MINISTER NURI AL-MALIKI ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE HALL WITH SYRIAN PRIME MINISTER NAJI AL-OTRI IRAQI FLAG JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) NURI AL-MALIKI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER, SAYING: "We do suffer from such comments. However, they often reflect a certain discomfort. Maybe this person who made a statement yesterd
  • Embargoed: 6th September 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA33WLVN1QD6RV2BCYSNCT2N95Q
  • Story Text: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki hit back at U.S. criticism of his government on Wednesday (August 22), saying nobody had the right to set timetables for progress.
    The U.S. ambassador to Baghdad Ryan Crocker said on Tuesday (August 20) Iraq had made "extremely disappointing" progress towards reconciling its warring sects, while President George W. Bush said there was "a certain level of frustration with the leadership in general".
    In response to a question regarding conditions set by Washington for his government to achieve political reconciliation among Iraqi groups, Maliki said that nobody had the right to impose timetables on his government.
    He was speaking at a news conference in Damascus, where he held talks on Tuesday with President Bashar al-Assad.
    "Maybe this person who made a statement yesterday is upset by the nature of our visit to Syria," Maliki said. He did not make clear if he was referring to Crocker or Bush.
    "These statements do not concern us a lot. What concerns us is our democratic experiment and adhering to the constitution. We will find many around the world who will support us in our endeavour."
    Carl Levin, chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, on Monday (August 20) urged that Maliki's government be voted out of power because it has been unable to reach compromises on policy issues - a statement Maliki said was quoted as saying "irresponsible."
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