Word: iraqi
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...helping end the conflict in the country. An Iraq that is unstable, she told them, will be "a force of instability for the region." None of Iraq's neighbors would disagree with that. But the problem is that most of them differ with Rice, as well as with the Iraqi government, on how to end the slaughter and achieve peace...
...Rice called the meeting an "opportunity to signal strong support" for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, but many of Iraq's neighbors see the Maliki government as part of the problem. Although al-Maliki came to office through democratic elections and is supported by Washington, Arab governments in Sunni Muslim countries see the Shi'ite prime minister as an ally of Iran who is helping Tehran extend its influence in Iraq. "Al-Maliki is not representing all of Iraq's people," an Arab diplomat told TIME on the sidelines of the conference. "He is too Iranian. He's serving...
...Arab officials complain that al-Maliki has dragged his feet on opening up the government to Iraqis who served in Saddam Hussein's regime, and that the manner in which the former dictator was executed last December was a deliberate provocation of the Sunnis. They say that al-Maliki has done little to dismantle Shi'ite militias such as the Mahdi Army, and suspect that he arranged for its leader, Moqtada Al-Sadr, to take refuge in Iran to escape arrest. Arab officials see the recent dismissal of some officers from the Iraqi armed forces as a purge orchestrated...
...Sheikh conference as an opportunity to have their voices heard on the Iraq crisis. But apart from forgiving some loans dating from Saddam Hussein's rule, they have been reluctant to take further steps, such as giving strong political backing to al-Maliki's government, using their influence with Iraqi Sunni leaders to halt the insurgency and, in the case of Syria, to stem the flow of insurgents from Syria into Iraq...
...Democrats begin negotiating with Republicans, the central question will be how strong they can make what's left of the bill, particularly the "benchmarks" for Iraqi progress on such issues as democratization, strengthening their security forces, cutting down on sectarian violence, disarming the militias and other goals. President Bush opposes any move to punish the Iraqis if they do not meet those targets, but some congressional Republicans say they might be willing to consider reducing non-military aid, including reconstruction funds. What they will not support, says one G.O.P. leadership aide, is anything that ties the benchmarks to a troop...