BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. ambassador to Iraq has asked one of Iraq's most prominent Shiite politicians to seek the withdrawal of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's contentious nomination for a second term, two aides said Monday.
The aides to Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim said U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, had asked their boss during a meeting Saturday to personally deliver the message to al-Jaafari.
The two, who were at the meeting but spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information, said al-Hakim initially refused, saying another "mechanism" needed to be found.
Later, however, lower-ranking members of al-Hakim's political bloc, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, did pass the Khalilzad message to members of al-Jaafari's party, who delivered it to him, the aides said.
Ali al-Adeeb, a lawmaker with close ties to al-Jaafari and a member of his Dawa party, confirmed that he heard about Khalilzad's message but refused to say how.
"The U.S. ambassador's position on al-Jaafari's nomination is negative. They want him (the prime minister) to be under their control," al-Adeeb said.
U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Elizabeth Colton offered no comment on the report.
All those aware of the issue said al-Jaafari had not responded.
Al-Hakim told CNN in an interview Monday that he hoped for unity with the United Iraqi Alliance, the Shiite umbrella organization in parliament.
"At the same time," he said, "we believe in the principle of participation because we cannot form a government unless we have the agreement of two-thirds of the members in the parliament.
Al-Hakim dodged the question of whether al-Jaafari would continue to have his support for nomination as prime minister, saying a final decision on the post "will need some discussion and in a little while the image will be much clearer."
Iraqi political leaders have been unable to agree on a new, permanent government for the country for more than five weeks since the results of the Dec. 15 parliamentary election were certified.
The disagreement centers on al-Jaafari, who won the nomination by one vote, with the backing of firebrand, anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Under Iraq's constitution, the political bloc with the largest number of seats in parliament has the right to nominate the prime minister.
The United Iraqi Alliance, which includes al-Hakim's SCIRI, al-Jaafari's Dawa Party, al-Sadr's Sadrist Movement and other smaller Shiite groups, has 130 seats in the 275-seat legislature.
The alliance was nearly evenly split, with SCIRI backing Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi and DAWA, joined by al-Sadr backers and the small Fadhila party, supporting al-Jaafari.
Meanwhile, President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, has formed a coalition with Sunni and some secular politicians in a bid to deny the prime minister a second term.
Since the dispute was made public earlier this month, Khalilzad has brokered a series of multiparty talks designed to seek a compromise that obviously hinges on al-Jaafari.
So far, after nearly two weeks of meetings, little progress has been reported on solving that fundamental dispute.
Khalilzad has suggested that al-Jaafari was not the unifying figure Iraq needs, noting the disagreement over his nomination.
"The important thing from our point of view is the prime minister should be one who can unify Iraq, the various ethnic and sectarian groups," the ambassador told The Associated Press in an interview earlier this month.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/iraq_pol...Veih.is0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--
Kind of funny how American leaders seem to sour on people that they originally supported. Didn't they do the same in Vietnam.
I like you, oh wait, maybe not.
Here there are no coups or assisinations but the same principle.
The aides to Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim said U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, had asked their boss during a meeting Saturday to personally deliver the message to al-Jaafari.
The two, who were at the meeting but spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information, said al-Hakim initially refused, saying another "mechanism" needed to be found.
Later, however, lower-ranking members of al-Hakim's political bloc, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, did pass the Khalilzad message to members of al-Jaafari's party, who delivered it to him, the aides said.
Ali al-Adeeb, a lawmaker with close ties to al-Jaafari and a member of his Dawa party, confirmed that he heard about Khalilzad's message but refused to say how.
"The U.S. ambassador's position on al-Jaafari's nomination is negative. They want him (the prime minister) to be under their control," al-Adeeb said.
U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Elizabeth Colton offered no comment on the report.
All those aware of the issue said al-Jaafari had not responded.
Al-Hakim told CNN in an interview Monday that he hoped for unity with the United Iraqi Alliance, the Shiite umbrella organization in parliament.
"At the same time," he said, "we believe in the principle of participation because we cannot form a government unless we have the agreement of two-thirds of the members in the parliament.
Al-Hakim dodged the question of whether al-Jaafari would continue to have his support for nomination as prime minister, saying a final decision on the post "will need some discussion and in a little while the image will be much clearer."
Iraqi political leaders have been unable to agree on a new, permanent government for the country for more than five weeks since the results of the Dec. 15 parliamentary election were certified.
The disagreement centers on al-Jaafari, who won the nomination by one vote, with the backing of firebrand, anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Under Iraq's constitution, the political bloc with the largest number of seats in parliament has the right to nominate the prime minister.
The United Iraqi Alliance, which includes al-Hakim's SCIRI, al-Jaafari's Dawa Party, al-Sadr's Sadrist Movement and other smaller Shiite groups, has 130 seats in the 275-seat legislature.
The alliance was nearly evenly split, with SCIRI backing Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi and DAWA, joined by al-Sadr backers and the small Fadhila party, supporting al-Jaafari.
Meanwhile, President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, has formed a coalition with Sunni and some secular politicians in a bid to deny the prime minister a second term.
Since the dispute was made public earlier this month, Khalilzad has brokered a series of multiparty talks designed to seek a compromise that obviously hinges on al-Jaafari.
So far, after nearly two weeks of meetings, little progress has been reported on solving that fundamental dispute.
Khalilzad has suggested that al-Jaafari was not the unifying figure Iraq needs, noting the disagreement over his nomination.
"The important thing from our point of view is the prime minister should be one who can unify Iraq, the various ethnic and sectarian groups," the ambassador told The Associated Press in an interview earlier this month.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/iraq_pol...Veih.is0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--
Kind of funny how American leaders seem to sour on people that they originally supported. Didn't they do the same in Vietnam.
I like you, oh wait, maybe not.
Here there are no coups or assisinations but the same principle.