On August 30, 2010 Vice President Joe Biden
arrived in Iraq to witness the end of combat operations there. He also came to
urge political leaders to form a new government. As part of that mission he
met with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in Baghdad on August 31, and then
traveled to Irbil, the Kurdish capital on September 1 to confer with regional President Massoud Barzani and Kurdish Prime Minister Barham Saleh. Biden tried to convince the Kurds to
support an alliance between Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law and Iyad Allawi’s Iraqi National Movement that would exclude the Sadrists.
As reported before, the U.S. believes that Moqtada al-Sadr and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC) are too close to Iran, and want to keep them out of any new government. Talabani, Barzani, and Saleh told Biden that they had close ties with both the Sadrists and Supreme Council however. The Kurdish Coalition has been unwilling to support any list so far, waiting for the Arab parties to come up with their candidate for premier, before stepping in and making demands. That was the likely motivation behind the Kurds’ rejection of Biden’s proposal. Despite repeated visits with Iraqi politicians, Americans officials have not been able to make any breakthroughs so far.
SOURCES
AK News, “Analyst: US concern about delayed government behind Biden’s visit,” 9/3/10
Aswat al-Iraq, “BBC: Joe Biden in Iraq for US mission change ceremony,” 8/31/10
- “Biden arrives in Arbil to meet Barzani,” 9/1/10
Al Malfa Press, “Within the National Coalition enhance prospects for Al-Maliki to win under the chairmanship of Prime Minister again,” 9/2/10
Al-Sudani, Thaier, “Iraq’s President Jalal Talabani,” Reuters, 8/31/10
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