Amid Iraq Turmoil, U.S. Insists on 'United' Government
The United States stuck to its position Monday that uniting Iraq's sectarian factions was the only way to repel advances by Sunni jihadists, despite the deepening dysfunction of the country's political system.
Washington is looking on with increasing dismay as political structures set up under the U.S. occupation are increasingly unable to fill a political vacuum exploited by Islamic State (IS) radicals who have seized vast tracts of the country.
On Monday, bickering in Baghdad led to the delay of a key parliamentary session to select a new government until August 12 -- likely meaning any fresh administration will not be in place until well after that.
Last week, Iraq's Kurds further rattled the political structure by confirming plans for an independence referendum, in a blow to hopes of a unified federal government.
The White House on Monday admitted it was disappointed in the developments, but did not see an alternative to its position that the only solution in Iraq was political.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that IS posed an "existential threat" to Iraq.
"To confront that threat, the country will need to be united," Earnest said.
"I don't think anybody's tried to minimize ... the difficulty of making these kinds of decisions and reaching these kinds of agreements.
"But to be blunt about it, reaching those agreements and making those difficult decisions are necessary for Iraq to survive."
Top U.S. officials have delivered a series of hints that they believe that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who they blame for exacerbating sectarian divisions with strongman rule, must step aside.
Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry have spent considerable effort trying to get Iraqi Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite leaders to come together to form a united government -- but with little progress evident so far.
Earnest also warned that "additional military involvement" from the United States "will only be done in coordination with tangible commitments from Iraq's leaders to pursue a more inclusive governing agenda."
Earnest stopped short however of warning that there would be no military help for Iraq from the United States until a new government had been formed -- a process that could take many weeks.
Obama also said on June 19 that he would reserve the right to take "targeted and precise military action, if and when we determine that the situation on the ground requires it."
The U.S. president has sent 300 special forces advisors to Iraq to assess the needs of the Iraqi army in the face of the IS onslaught and possibly to consider targets for any US air strikes.
A further 475 U.S. troops are in the country to shield the U.S. embassy and Americans against any possible attacks.
Source: Agence France Presse
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