BAGHDAD, Aug 22 (Reuters): Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki reacted sharply on Wednesday to U.S. criticism of his government's slow progress towards reconciliation in a clear sign of growing tension with his most important ally.
Speaking during a visit to Damascus, he said no one outside Iraq had the right to set timetables for progress.
U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker on Tuesday described political progress towards reconciliation by Maliki's fractured, Shi'ite-led coalition as "extremely disappointing."
President George W. Bush, under pressure to show results in the unpopular war or start bringing troops home, also urged Maliki to do more to bring together Iraq's warring Shi'ite Muslim majority and minority Sunni Arabs.
As the diplomatic heat rose, violence in the country continued. A suicide bomber killed 20 people in an attack on a police headquarters in Baiji, and 14 U.S. military were killed in a helicopter crash in northern Iraq blamed on mechanical failure, the worst incident of its kind since January 2005.
With Crocker three weeks away from delivering a pivotal progress report to Congress that could signal a change of U.S. policy in Iraq, Bush also said there was "a certain level of frustration" with Iraq's leadership.
Maliki's response was blunt. "The Iraqi government was elected by the Iraqi people," he told reporters in the Syrian capital.
"Maybe this person who made a statement yesterday is upset by the nature of our visit to Syria," Maliki said, without making clear if he was referring to Bush or Crocker.
"These statements do not concern us a lot ... We will find many around the world who will support us in our endeavor."
Iraq and the United States accuse Syria of not doing enough to stop the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq through its porous borders.
Iraq PM bristles as tensions grow with US
FE Team | Published: August 23, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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