International   

Maliki tours region to shore up support

DUBAI: Facing mounting criticism from the U.S., Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki is in Iran to seek Tehran’s support for countering growing threats to his Government and stabilising his country.

Mr. Maliki has arrived in Tehran after concluding a visit to Turkey, its powerful neighbour to the north. Turkey has amassed troops along its border with Iraq, citing Iraqi reluctance to crackdown on guerillas belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The PKK, which has mounted a militant campaign in Turkey, has established sanctuaries in the Kandil mountains of northern Iraq. The Turks have maintained that Kurdish leaders, especially Massoud Barzani support PKK. During talks in Ankara on Tuesday, Mr. Maliki declined to sign a counterterrorism treaty that Turkey had drafted. The document described the PKK militants as “terrorists” — a description that Mr. Maliki did not accept.

Analysts point out that Mr. Maliki had little choice on this matter as his Government depends on Kurdish allies, which have longstanding links with the PKK. Instead of the signing a treaty, the two sides inked a milder Memorandum of Understanding, where the Iraqi Government pledged that it would make an attempt to expel the PKK from its soil.

In Iran, Mr. Maliki is seeking substantial support to shore up his Government. Iran’s Press and TV reported that Mr. Maliki could be facing a leadership challenge from the U.S.-backed former interim Prime Minister, Ayad Allawi.

The report cited Mr. Maliki’s refusal to allow construction of separation walls in Baghdad that would physically separate Iraqi religious communities as one of the factors driving up tensions with the Americans.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Karuna group must be disarmed: Army
All set for joint jirga on terrorism
Koreas agree to hold summit
Maliki tours region to shore up support
Reformist paper closed down for second time
Not our view, says Pakistan
Gusmao sworn in
Picassos recovered
Donates fortune to native village in Kerala
Bharatnatyam gaining popularity in China
Two Indian writers on Booker longlist

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu