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| Iraq |
| Maliki announces agreement with Iran |
| 2007-09-30 |
| Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has secured a pledge from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to help cut off weapons, funding, and other support to militiamen in Iraq, US and Iraqi officials said yesterday. General David H. Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, said there were signs of a slight drop in the types of attacks associated with Shi'ite militants since the deal was reached last month, and he dangled the possibility that US and Iraqi officials might be able to do something in return. But he said it was too early to tell whether there has been a real reduction in Iranian support. "Honestly, and I really mean this, all of us would really welcome the opportunity to see this, confirm it and even - in whatever way we could - to reciprocate," Petraeus told reporters on a visit to the Baghdad neighborhood of Karada. "But it really is wait and see time right now still." Iranian officials have made no announcement of such a commitment and could not immediately be reached for comment yesterday. But they have consistently rejected US accusations that members of the elite Al Quds force of the Iranian National Guard are stoking the bloodshed in Iraq by supplying advanced weaponry and other help to rogue Shi'ite militiamen. Meanwhile, at least 15 Iraqis were killed or found dead yesterday, victims of bomb blasts, mortar fire, shootings and other violence. The US military also announced the deaths of two soldiers in small arms fire, one during combat operations in a southern section of Baghdad and the other in Diyala. Maliki's aides characterized the agreement reached during a three-day visit to Iran as a promise to better police the long and porous border between the two countries. "The prime minister has been saying recently that the Iranians have been giving him strong promises that they will do better in terms of controlling the borders and that the results of these promises are starting to be felt . . . as far as the trafficking of weapons is concerned," said an official from Maliki's office. He asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to address the media. Faruq Abdullah, one of Maliki's political advisers, said: "The agreement included a promise by the Iranian government to increase the number of Iranian forces on the border and to increase the efforts to guard the 1,000-kilometer-long frontier." But Petraeus said Maliki told him the agreement went further than that. "The president of Iran pledged to Prime Minister Maliki during a recent meeting that he would stop the flow of weapons, the training, the funding and the directing of these militia extremists that have been such a huge problem really for Iraq," Petraeus said. He reiterated charges that Iran is supplying rocket-propelled grenades, shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, large rockets, and armor-piercing bombs known as explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, which have been used in attacks against US forces. "Certainly, indirect fire is quite a bit down," Petraeus said, referring to rockets and mortar rounds, "EFPs arguably a bit down, some of these others we haven't seen for a bit. But it certainly is nothing sufficient to call even statistically significant, much less evidence that there has been a real reduction in the assistance provided." He did not provide the figures. US-led forces have captured "quite a few" of the weapons during recent operations, he said. The apparent dip in such attacks could also be connected to a decision by Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to suspend the operations of his Mahdi militiamen for six months. "It was the extreme elements of those, the special groups as they are called, that had been employing those different arms," Petraeus said. Analysts cautioned against interpreting the commitment as an admission of responsibility by Ahmadinejad. |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #5 JPOST OP-ED > THE MIDDLE EAST: [MOUD's] AGENDA/AMBITIONS. Author's description of Moud's = Iranian LT ambitions for regional domination by definition includes Lebanon. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-09-30 22:05 |
| #4 If the Iranians really are scared about how Syrian air defense was shut down by the Jooos, and fears that they're next, it is possible - however unlikely - that Dinner jacket is really sin .... Nah! Nevermind. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2007-09-30 17:44 |
| #3 Maliki's a tool. Petraeus wouldn't mind space to finish out the surge with sufficient progress that Iraqis step up more against the militants. But you will note his ... caution ... regarding the alleged agreement and its outcome. |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-09-30 17:11 |
| #2 Hmmm, I wonder. Agreeing to stop is an admission of doing it. If we continue to find their fingerprints on evil goodies, it would warrant a a response. Maybe a little cross-border interdiction for starters? (not that I disagree Maliki is a tool) |
| Posted by: SteveS 2007-09-30 16:42 |
| #1 Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has secured a pledge from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to help cut off weapons, funding, and other support to militiamen in Iraq, US and Iraqi officials said yesterday. And I've got a bridge to sell anyone who believes this unmitigated tripe. Maliki's willingness to cast Iran in any sort of legitimate light is a prime indicator of his credibility and what to expect from his continued leadership of Iraq. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-09-30 16:33 |