Iraqi reaction to Bush meeting with Iraqi Prime minister

Source: CCTV.com | 11-30-2006 17:36

Iraqis on the streets of Baghdad waited to hear the outcome of U.S. President George W. Bush's meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Jordan.The meeting aimed to seek ways to stem sectarian carnage threatening to split Iraq.

Some Iraqi citizens held out hope that the meeting could change the fortunes of Iraq.

Sattar Hanoun, an Iraqi citizen said, "As for the visit, Iraqi people and all the world are looking forward to it. We hope the meeting will be a positive one and serves the aspirations of the Iraqi people."

However, others were more sceptical, like Hartyoun, who similar meeting in the past had made no difference.

Mr Hartyoun expressed, "They held meetings from time to time, they had a meeting in Saudi Arabia and it failed, another one in Egypt and it also failed. The Iraqi people are bored of this situation and life. Find a solution for us. there should be a solution!"

Bush and al-Maliki opened talks on Thursday after an original meeting the day before was cancelled following disclosure of US doubts about the Iraqi leader's capabilities and a Baghdad protest of his attendance.

US President said Iraq will not be partitioned. Full story >>

Bush said that he and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki agreed that Iraq should not be partitioned into separate,semi-autonomous zones, whilst al-Mailiki said Iraq would welcome help from its neighbours, a reference to Iran and Syria, to halt the violence.

In Baghdad, one resident, Ali al-Azawi said: " We don't pin hopes on the meeting between President George Bush with Prime Minister al-Maliki in Amman. Such meetings will have nothing good to the Iraqi people."

Another local resident said the meeting would "reap nothing".

Talks between Bush and Iraqi PM postponed Full Story >>

Bush had been scheduled to participate in a three-way session with al-Maliki and Jordan's King Abdullah II, rearranging his overseas itinerary to be in Amman for both days for talks aimed at reducing the spiral of violence in Iraq.

The abrupt cancellation of Wednesday's opening session was an almost unheard-of development in the high-level diplomatic circles of a US president, a king and a prime minister.

Instead of talks over two days, the turn of events found Bush and al-Maliki meeting for a working breakfast that was to be followed by a longer session and a news conference.

White House counsellor Dan Bartlett denied that the delay was a snub by al-Maliki directed at Bush or was related to the leak of a memo questioning the prime minister's capacity for controlling violence in Iraq.

Sadr bloc protests the Iraq PM and US President talks Full Story >>

Lawmakers and Cabinet ministers loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have suspended participation in parliament and the government to protest Prime minister Nouri al-Maliki's summit with US President George W. Bush instigating a political crisis as a spiral of violence consumes the nation.

Editor:Ji Xuewen