P.M.: 'I'm... not America's man in Iraq'

J. Paul Bremer ran Iraq for the United States as head of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) until his departure on June 28, 2004

Iraq's prime minister sharply criticized U.S. policy Friday during a private meeting with the American ambassador, pointing to the United States' failure to either reduce violence or give his government authority over security matters, aides to the Iraqi leader said.

The criticism was the latest example of tension between the two governments and stood in contrast to a joint public statement issued after the meeting.

Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and the U.S. Embassy said in the statement that they had agreed to unspecified timelines to make tough political and security decisions on the country's future.

Privately, however, Maliki criticized what he called the patronizing U.S. tone toward the Iraqi government and warned U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad to respect Iraq's sovereignty, two of the prime minister's advisors said.

"I'm a friend to the United States, but not America's man in Iraq," Maliki told Khalilzad, according to Hassan Senaid, one of the prime minister's closest advisors.

Previously, Maliki had vehemently rejected the notion of deadlines for his government to achieve key goals, but the statement said that "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."

The statement also said that "Iraq and the United States are committed to working together to respond to the needs of the people." It affirmed that the United States would "continue to stand by the Iraqi government" amid rumors that Washington might be seeking alternatives to Baghdad's Shiite-led administration.

Maliki's supporters downplayed the reference to timelines as insignificant, saying they were meant as rough guidelines to hand security over to the Iraqis.

U.S. officials in Baghdad could not be reached for comment.

Read the rest at the LA Times

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