No Deadline Set For Formation Of Government
By Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 3, 2006; A15
BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 2 -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw flew here together in an unannounced visit Sunday and made a dramatic appeal to feuding Iraqi politicians to quickly form a national unity government before the country fractures further along sectarian lines.
After a day of meetings with political figures that stretched into the evening, Rice said she was "very direct" in telling leaders that "the Iraqi people are losing patience" and "your international allies want to see this get done because you can't continue to leave a political vacuum."
The two diplomats arrived in the capital as pressure mounted on Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari to step aside to resolve the political crisis. Several politicians said Sunday that Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi's Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, which controls a bloc of more than 30 parliamentary seats, decided late Saturday to withdraw its support for the embattled prime minister.
Rice and Straw said they were not seeking to impose a solution. But Rice bluntly criticized Jafari's failure to win broad political support after holding a frosty meeting with him. The Iraqis "have got to get a prime minister who can form a government," she said.
Elections were held nearly four months ago, and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad has repeatedly prodded the Shiite Muslim, Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties to form a unity government. Jafari, whom U.S. officials view as weak and ineffectual, was narrowly approved by the Shiite bloc, but Sunni and Kurdish leaders oppose him.
U.S. and British officials said the visit was planned because it appeared possible to break the stalemate, though they acknowledged it was a gamble that could backfire.
Rice and Straw said they did not set a deadline for action and did not expect a resolution during their visit. But Straw, citing "significant international concern" about the protracted process, said: "They have to make progress to secure a leader."
Noting the "human treasure" that the United States has expended during the three-year conflict, Rice said: "The American people want to see Iraq succeed, but they want to see Iraq progress toward success."
Shiites and Sunnis have engaged in a bloody cycle of reprisal killings since the bombing of a major Shiite shrine five weeks ago, leading to fears that the country is splintering. Rice said she had been "very concerned" when hundreds were killed in the aftermath of the bombing, but she told Iraqi leaders she had been impressed by their resilience. "But I did say I don't know how many times you can be resilient," she said. "So don't take the chance you have to be resilient again."
Rice and Straw flew here overnight from Liverpool, England, where Straw had been hosting Rice during a two-day visit to the region that he represents as a member of Parliament. The Iraq war was a contentious issue, with protesters opposed to the U.S. invasion confronting Rice at almost every stop.
Rice's schedule had called for her to remain overnight in Liverpool on Saturday, but she and Straw slipped away on her Boeing 757 jet after a reception. They flew to Kuwait, with Rice giving Straw the bed in her cabin while she slept on the floor in the aisle. They then transferred to a U.S. military aircraft for the flight to Baghdad. A drenching rainstorm forced them to forgo the use of helicopters and instead they traveled into the city in a heavily armed military convoy -- a trip that took nearly an hour because of a huge traffic jam on the airport road.
When the two met with Jafari in front of reporters, the tension was noticeable. Rice sat with a frozen smile as she and Jafari made awkward conversation about the stormy weather outside.
By contrast, Rice bubbled over with enthusiasm when she arrived for lunch at the home of Vice President Abdul Mahdi, who narrowly lost to Jafari in a February vote by the Shiite coalition for the nomination to be prime minister. "It's wonderful to see you," she exclaimed twice.
Part of Straw's role in the meetings was to draw on his experience in parliamentary deal-making, explaining to the Iraqis how protracted negotiations on forming a government can disillusion citizens.
Asked whether U.S. and British support might be reduced if Iraqis fail to form a unity government, Straw replied: "We are committed to Iraq, very committed, but we need to see progress, and that is in everyone's interest."
Meanwhile, officials inside and outside the Shiite alliance said Sunday that support for Jafari was evaporating. Humam Hamoudi, a senior member of the Supreme Council, said that if Jafari is formally asked to withdraw and refuses, his opponents have enough votes to force him out.
"If the Kurds and Sunnis don't want him, it is in Dr. Jafari's interest, the alliance's interest and Iraq's interest to find someone else to agree on," Hamoudi said in an interview.
Hamoudi said he and other Shiite leaders hoped to avoid a damaging rift in the alliance, which boasts the largest share of seats in the new parliament but has struggled to hold together during turbulent negotiations to form a new government.
Straw said he and Rice decided to travel together to Iraq after realizing a couple of weeks ago that they were planning independent visits at about the same time. Straw last visited Iraq five weeks ago, when he said Iraqi leaders had assured him they would settle their differences "pretty fast." Rice previously traveled to Baghdad in November.
In a move designed to show confidence in Iraq, Rice spent the night in the heavily guarded Green Zone -- the first time a secretary of state has stayed more than a few hours in Iraq since Colin L. Powell in 2003, shortly after the invasion. Rice and Straw planned more meetings Monday and will hold a news conference before flying to London for dinner with Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Correspondent Jonathan Finer contributed to this report.