Iraq's prime minister and the U.S. ambassador declared common goals on Friday after days of public wrangling that raised new questions about Iraq policy before next month's U.S. congressional elections. In a joint statement after a meeting with U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said his government had "timelines" for political developments, employing the word at the heart of the debate.Iraqi officials say Maliki was angered this week when Khalilzad seemed to assure impatient American voters the Iraqi leader was following a U.S.-backed timetable of performance "benchmarks", and they insisted any "timelines" were a purely Iraqi initiative and did not commit Maliki to action.
| Bush told a White House news conference Iraqi leaders had agreed to a "schedule" and reminded Maliki that his patience was "not unlimited" and his support for the prime minister conditional on him making "tough decisions". |
"The Iraqi government has made clear the issues that must be resolved with timelines for them to take positive steps forward on behalf of the Iraqi people," it said. "The United States fully supports their goals and will help make them a success."
Washington is anxious for Maliki, a Shi'ite, to crack down on Shi'ite militia death squads blamed for much of the killing. Khalilzad had told a news conference on Tuesday that Iraqi leaders had "committed themselves to a timeline for making ... decisions". Maliki responded two days later that "we do not believe in a timetable and no one will impose one on us". Bush told a White House news conference Iraqi leaders had agreed to a "schedule" and reminded Maliki that his patience was "not unlimited" and his support for the prime minister conditional on him making "tough decisions".