Topic: Iraq PM, U.S. Envoy Issue Rare Statement

Media: The Associated Press
Byline:
Date: 27 October 2006


BAGHDAD, Iraq_After a tense week in U.S.-Iraqi relations, the prime minister
and the U.S. ambassador issued a rare joint statement Friday in which Iraq
reaffirmed its commitment to a "good and strong" relationship with the
United States.

The statement also said that Iraq "made clear the issues that must be
resolved with timelines for them to take positive steps forward."

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had issued several public statements this
week declaring that the United States had no right to impose "timetables" on
his government.

That contradicted Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad's assertion that the al-Maliki
government had already agreed to set timelines for curbing violence and
solving other problems.