Tags : Maliki, obama
Obama, Maliki Confident Of Iraq Progressing Toward Stability
Washington, D.C. (AHN) – President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki expressed confidence in the progress of Iraq to continue to move toward peace and stability Wednesday in a brief press conference following a day of meetings at the White House.
Obama stood firm with the American commitment to remove all troops by the end of 2011, saying “we seek no bases in Iraq nor do we make any claims on Iraq”Iraq’s bases or resources.”
Noting that there are “still those who want to foment sectarian conflict,” the president said that Iraqis had rejected them.
“Violence levels remain low,” he said, and cooperation with Iraqis remains high.”
He expressed approval of the improvement in Iraqi military forces, saying that U.S. military leaders had “seen competence and great confidence on the part of the Iraqi forces.”
Maliki claimed victory over insurgents promoting sectarian conflict within the country, said success of the insurgents’ part “would have been killing not only Iraq but the region.”
Iraq is negotiating to activate the strategic agreement under which Iraq would regain full sovereignty, Maliki said. Iraqi forces have shown that they are capable of maintaining peace but would request assistance from American forces if it was needed, the prime minister said. He noted that the U.S. and Iraq were jointly responsible to deal with threats to Iraqi national security.
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