The White House on Wednesday firmly denied newspaper reports suggesting President George W. Bush had lost faith in Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Spokesman Tony Snow called the claims "absolutely false," saying top US military commanders in Baghdad believed Maliki was making genuine progress on security and national reconciliation despite having held office for only around 100 days.
The denial came in direct response to a front-page New York Times story reporting that senior US and Iraqi officials were privately questioning whether Maliki possessed the resolve to hold the country together and prevent civil war. Anonymous former officials described a leader reluctant to act on decisions, which reportedly frustrated Bush.
The episode unfolded against a backdrop of election-season pressure on the administration over the duration of the US military presence in Iraq. Bush had told Iraqi President Jalal Talabani that American support would continue as long as Baghdad kept making the difficult decisions required for lasting peace, language he also used at the UN General Assembly.
A bipartisan Iraq Study Group, meeting Tuesday, reinforced that message, warning that time was running short and that the Iraqi government needed to demonstrate to both its own citizens and Americans that it merited continued backing. Iraq's deputy prime minister separately acknowledged that Iraqis themselves bore ultimate responsibility for resolving the country's crisis.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.