WASHINGTON - President Bush is sticking to his plan to hold a summit in
Jordan next week with the head of Iraq, despite threats from radical Shiites to
boycott parliament if Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki goes.
In this photo made available by the Iraqi President Press
Office, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, third left, heads a meeting of the
Iraqi Political Council for National Security in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday,
Nov. 24, 2006. [Reuters]
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At the same time, the White House on Friday deplored anew the escalating wave
of violence in Iraq.
"These ruthless acts of violence are deplorable," said Deputy Press Secretary
Scott Stanzel. "It is an outrage that these terrorists are targeting innocents
in a brazen effort to topple a democratically elected government, and it is not
going to work."
In Baghdad, followers of anti-American Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr warned
they would suspend their membership in the Iraqi parliament and cabinet if
al-Maliki kept his appointment with Bush in Amman on Wednesday and Thursday.
That put al-Maliki in a difficult position because he needs the support of both
Bush and al-Sadr.
The al-Sadr bloc in parliament and government is the backbone of al-Maliki's
political support, and its withdrawal, if only temporarily, would be a severe
blow to the prime minister's already shaky hold on power.
"Securing Baghdad and gaining control of the violent situation will be a
priority agenda item when President Bush meets with Prime Minister al-Maliki in
just a few days," Stanzel said.
A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because
he wasn't authorized to speak publicly about the two leaders' meeting, said the
president does not expect that al-Sadr's threat to withdraw from the Iraqi
government will prompt al-Maliki to cancel his meeting with Bush.
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