Region | Iraq
Bush reminds Al Maliki of his responsibilities
President George W. Bush made a surprise visit to Baghdad to try to bolster the new government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki yesterday, days after US forces killed Al Qaida's chief in Iraq.
- Reuters
- Published: 00:00 June 14, 2006
Baghdad: President George W. Bush made a surprise visit to Baghdad to try to bolster the new government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki yesterday, days after US forces killed Al Qaida's chief in Iraq.
"And so I have come to not only look you in the eye; I've also come to tell you that when America gives its word, it will keep its word," Bush told Al Maliki, who faces violence across Iraq and a new threat of vengeance from the slain Al Qaida leader's successor.
The White House said Bush would be on the ground for more than five hours and would also meet US troops.
His first visit since Thanksgiving in November 2003 came six days after a US air strike killed Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, leader of Al Qaida in Iraq.
A wave of bombings hit the oil city of Kirkuk yesterday, killing 14 people, in what was seen as a bid by Al Qaida to show the death of its leader would not stop its campaign of violence.
Security concerns meant Bush's journey to Iraq was top secret and many of Bush's own aides were kept in the dark.
Only Vice-President Dick Cheney, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice were aware Bush had slipped away from Camp David abruptly on Monday night.
Aides said he was in the cockpit of Air Force One when it landed in Baghdad with a sharp bank and quick landing. He then took an eight-minute helicopter ride in searing heat to the fortified "Green Zone" for talks with the Iraqi Cabinet and US commander in Iraq General George Casey at the US embassy.
Bush's meeting with the Iraqi Cabinet was connected by video to Camp David, where Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice remained.
The president told Al Maliki he carried heavy responsibilities.
"The decisions you and your Cabinet make will determine as to whether or not your country succeeds, can govern itself, can defend itself, can sustain itself," he said.
The Iraqi prime minister said his Cabinet was determined to defeat the insurgents so US and other forces could withdraw.
"God willing, all the suffering will be over, all the soldiers will return to their countries with our gratitude, for what they have offered, the sacrifices," he said.
In one of the Kirkuk attacks, a car bomb exploded outside the house of a senior police officer, seriously wounding him and killing one of his bodyguards, police said.
As police and US forces gathered in the area, a roadside bomb exploded, killing 10 civilians, in a common tactic by insurgents seeking to topple the Shiite-led government backed by the United States.
"The terrorists want to send a message that they are staying active despite the fact that Al Zarqawi was killed," said Rizgar Ali, head of Kirkuk's governing council.
Iran interference
Bush also told Al Maliki he had heard reports Iran was "interfering" in Iraq and said that had to stop, Iraqi government sources who attended the talks said. Iran has denied the allegations.
A senior Iraqi defence ministry official said more than 40,000 Iraqi and US forces backed by tanks would launch a crackdown in Baghdad today, in what would be one of the biggest such operations since the 2003 war.
"Armoured personnel carriers and tanks will be used. We will depend on intelligence to find suspects," Major General Abdul Aziz Mohammad said.
US and Iraqi forces have launched several such operations aimed at rooting out insurgents and militants but have failed to ease the violence.
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