Nouri al-Maliki

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US Will Be Out of Iraq by 2011, PM Says

Maliki firm on 'fixed date,' though US says deal isn't finalized

(Newser) - The US has agreed to a timeline that forces all foreign troops out of Iraq by 2011 as part of a proposed pact, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said today. "There is an agreement actually reached, reached between the two parties on a fixed date, which is the end...

Rice Arrives in Baghdad for Troop Deal Talks

In surprise visit, secretary seeks new mandate for US military

(Newser) - Condoleezza Rice has arrived in Iraq on an unannounced trip, where she will meet with PM Nouri al-Maliki and other top officials to continue talks to keep American troops in the country after their UN mandate expires. While sources in both the US and Iraq have said that an agreement...

Iraq Security Deal Has US Troops Out of Cities By July

Legal immunity remains sticking point in pact yet to be approved by either side

(Newser) - Negotiators for the US and Iraq have completed a draft security agreement that plans to have US forces out of Iraqi cities by June 30, and out of the country completely by the end of 2011, the AP reports. Negotiators also reached accord on the contentious issue of legal immunity...

Jordan's King Pledges Iraq Support

First visit by Arab head of state big boost for Iraqi government

(Newser) - In a key sign of returning stability in Iraq, King Abdullah of Jordan paid a surprise visit to Baghdad yesterday, becoming the first Arab head of state to travel to the nation since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein by the US military. The trip, postponed from last month after a...

Deal Would Set Oct. 2010 for US Pullout: Iraqi Official

Legal immunity for troops remains stumbling block in talks

(Newser) - Significant progress has been made on the security agreement being negotiated between Iraq and the US, the AP reports, with two Iraqi officials saying that the deal sets October 2010 as the deadline for a near-complete withdrawal. Legal immunity for troops remains an issue, and contributed to a “very...

Despite Progress, Iraqi Politics Remain Stalled

Parliement must use calm to implement necessary reforms

(Newser) - Violence in Iraq is hitting unprecedented lows, and Iraqi forces are gradually assuming command over parts of the country previously controlled by American troops. But with the summer break and Ramadan looming, politicians aren’t taking advantage of the lull in violence to pass much-needed legislation, and PM Nouri al-Maliki...

Political Turf War Threatens Stability at Iraqi Oil Giant

Government wants to oust director of South Oil, but he's resisting

(Newser) - The central government in Iraq is trying reassert its control over a huge state-owned oil company by forcing out its maverick—but highly effective—chief, the Wall Street Journal reports. He's refusing to go, however, and the resulting turf war could have huge implications not only for Iraq but the...

Mac: Maliki's 'Pretty Good Timetable' Beats Obama's

Blogosphere up in arms at candidate's parsing of Iraq plans—both for 16 months

(Newser) - In an interview with CNN today, John McCain called Nouri al-Maliki’s troop withdrawal plan a “pretty good timetable”—leading Josh Marshall, on Talking Points Memo, to call foul. So “Barack Obama's 16 month timetable is a catastrophe,” Marshall says, the difference being that the Iraqi...

Bush Hand: Maliki Nod 'Incredibly Damaging' to Mac

Iraqi PM's virtual endorsement of Obama plan may be 'game-changing event'

(Newser) - President Bush’s former communications director is decidedly off GOP message in a new interview, Politico reports, with Dan Bartlett, now in the private sector, saying, “Time will tell, but the al-Maliki comments about a timetable is very close to a game-changing event. That was incredibly damaging [to McCain],...

Maliki Pegs Obama as the Most Pliant: Krauthammer

Iraq PM thinks Dem can be manipulated, writes Krauthammer

(Newser) - Nouri al-Maliki's endorsement of Barack Obama's timetable for withdrawal from Iraq this week was "the earliest and most ostentatious absentee ballot of this presidential election," writes Charles Krauthammer. The Washington Post columnist thinks that the Iraqi PM gave Obama an electorial assist for a clear reason: between him...

Best Iraq Policy Would Mix Mac, Obama Plans
Best Iraq Policy Would Mix Mac, Obama Plans
Opinion

Best Iraq Policy Would Mix Mac, Obama Plans

Friedman: Timetable is a political must, but with a little wiggle room

(Newser) - John McCain was right about the surge, so it’s natural he’s eager to talk about it. But thanks to that very success, Barack Obama finds himself, by luck or cunning, positioned perfectly, Thomas Friedman writes in the New York Times. As security improves, Iraqis want Americans to leave....

McCain's Long-Shot Status Slips Into No-Shot Territory

In a change year, odds looks stacked too heavily against Republican

(Newser) - The presidential race has broken so hard in Barack Obama’s direction that Michael Grunwald asks “the question the horse-race-loving media are never supposed to ask” in Time: “Is McCain a no-shot?” The Republican is in dire straits, having lost advantage on Iran (Bush is moving toward negotiation),...

In Jordan, Obama Urges Iraq-to-Afghanistan Shift

With security improved, US must focus on fighting terror, Dem says

(Newser) - Barack Obama said today that, with improved security in Iraq, the US should turn its attention to Afghanistan. “There is security progress, but now we need a political solution” in Iraq, Obama said in Amman, Jordan—in his first news conference abroad, the AP reports. Afghanistan, the “central...

Obama Beefs Up Foreign Policy Cred in Iraq
Obama Beefs Up Foreign Policy Cred in Iraq
ANALYSIS

Obama Beefs Up Foreign Policy Cred in Iraq

Maliki's endorsement of withdrawal timetable a stroke of luck

(Newser) - Presidential candidate Barack Obama's weeklong tour of seven countries has so far been fruitful, politically agile, and especially lucky, reports the New York Times. The Illinois senator's withdrawal plan received a timely endorsement from Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki, coinciding with President Bush's embrace of a "time horizon" for pulling...

Iraq Sands Shifting Under McCain Position
Iraq Sands Shifting Under McCain Position
ANALYSIS

Iraq Sands Shifting Under McCain Position

Move by Bush, Maliki toward timetable is 'devastating blow'

(Newser) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain is stuck in an awkward position after both President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki moved closer to a withdrawal timetable favored by Barack Obama, Politico notes. McCain has opposed such a measure, but in 2004 asserted that if a sovereign Iraqi government asked...

Maliki Uses US Politics to Gain Iraqi Leverage
Maliki Uses US Politics to Gain Iraqi Leverage
ANALYSIS

Maliki Uses US Politics to Gain Iraqi Leverage

'Let's squeeze them,' the PM is said to have proposed

(Newser) - The Iraqi PM’s endorsement of Barack Obama’s withdrawal timetable Saturday (walked back somewhat under pressure) was a calculated maneuver by a man who has figured out how to play US politics for his country's gain, Robert Reid writes for the AP. Nouri al-Maliki started using it as leverage...

Obama, Maliki Want US Troops Out of Iraq by 2010

Democrat mum on details of meeting with Iraqi leaders, who aren't as reticent

(Newser) - Barack Obama spent nearly an hour today meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the Washington Post reports, before meeting with President Jalal Talabani. Though the Democrat gave few details—“We had a very constructive discussion,” was all Obama would say—an Iraqi official said the government shares...

Obama Arrives in Iraq
 Obama Arrives in Iraq 

Obama Arrives in Iraq

Candidate to meet with commanders and troops on third leg of world tour

(Newser) - Barack Obama landed in Basra today and headed to Baghdad for the latest leg of his world tour, the Washington Post reports. The candidate, who made a brief stop in Kuwait last night after 2 days in Afghanistan, will meet with US commanders and Iraqi officials and speak with US...

Maliki Backs Obama Iraq Plan
 Maliki Backs Obama Iraq Plan 

Maliki Backs Obama Iraq Plan

Iraq PM says a 16-month schedule to withdraw sounds about right

(Newser) - While shying away from a presidential endorsement, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki expressed support for Barack Obama’s 16-month timeline for withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, Der Spiegel reports. He expressed frustration at his country’s lack of control over US forces and said they should leave "as...

Sunnis Rejoin Iraqi Parliament
 Sunnis Rejoin Iraqi Parliament 

Sunnis Rejoin Iraqi Parliament

Bloc split off last year over power sharing; ministry appointments helped patch rift

(Newser) - The Sunni Arab bloc of Iraq's Parliament returned from a year-long absence today, Reuters reports, as the government approved several Sunni ministerial candidates. The move is a major breakthrough for national reconciliation; "It is a real step forward for political reform,"  a senior lawmaker in the bloc...

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