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Amid Iraq Turmoil, U.S. Insists on 'United' Government
[An Nahar] The United States stuck to its position Monday that uniting Iraq's sectarian factions was the only way to repel advances by Sunni jihadists, despite the deepening dysfunction of the country's political system.Washington is looking on with increasing dismay as political structures set up under the U.S. occupation are increasingly unable to fill a political vacuum exploited by Islamic State (IS) turbans who have seized vast tracts of the country. On Monday, bickering in Baghdad led to the delay of a key parliamentary session to select a new government until August 12 -- likely meaning any fresh administration will not be in place until well after that. Last week, Iraq's Kurds further rattled the political structure by confirming plans for an independence referendum, in a blow to hopes of a unified federal government. The White House on Monday admitted it was disappointed in the developments, but did not see an alternative to its position that the only solution in Iraq was political. White House front man Josh Earnest said that IS posed an "existential threat" to Iraq. "To confront that threat, the country will need to be united," Earnest said. "I don't think anybody's tried to minimize ... the difficulty of making these kinds of decisions and reaching these kinds of agreements. "But to be blunt about it, reaching those agreements and making those difficult decisions are necessary for Iraq to survive." Top U.S. officials have delivered a series of hints that they believe that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who they blame for exacerbating sectarian divisions with strongman rule, must step aside. Posted by: Fred 2014-07-08 |
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