Iraqi prime minister accuses neighboring countries of meddling in formation of government

Iraqi premier accuses neighbors of meddling

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s prime minister accused neighboring states Monday of meddling in his country’s internal affairs to try to influence the formation of the government after elections produced no clear winner and left his party in second place.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki did not name any country. But Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad said Saturday that all political blocs including Sunnis should play a role in the new Iraqi government, a remark seen as a blow to al-Maliki. Iran has promoted Shiite power since the fall of Saddam Hussein but this shift gave a boost to Ayad Allawi, whose party came in first in the March 7 election with heavy support from Sunnis.

“Our message is clear: Do not interfere in our affairs,” al-Maliki said. He told a government committee meeting he was upset to hear representatives of neighboring states talking on television as if they were Iraq’s “guardians.”

Al-Maliki has refused to accept the election results and the accusation was just the latest in his almost-daily complaints. On Sunday, his party claimed its investigation into the election had thrown into question 750,000 votes — enough to change the results.

Iraqi courts have already given al-Maliki one victory by siding with his argument that any party leader able to assemble a large enough parliamentary coalition could be chosen to form the new government, rather than just the coalition that won the most seats.

The election left al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition trailing former Prime Minister Allawi’s Iraqiya alliance by two seats in the 325-member parliament. Neither won enough to govern alone, leaving no choice but to try to cobble together a ruling coalition.

Al-Maliki has led a government dominated by religious Shiites for the past four years, while Allawi, a secular Shiite, drew most of his support from the country’s Sunni minority on a campaign pledge that he was looking to transcend ethnic and sectarian divides.

Various Iraq parties have visited all six of Iraq’s neighbors since the election to rally support. Members of Allawi’s party have visited Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and have said they will soon go to Iran, while al-Maliki’s party sent a delegation to Iran.

While no neighboring country’s government has officially endorsed a candidate, it is widely assumed that those dominated by Sunnis — in particular Saudi Arabia and Jordan — are behind Allawi.

“We want good relations with our friends, brothers, Arab neighbors, Muslim neighbors,” al-Maliki said. But “such good relations can only be built on the basis of mutual respect, noninterference in internal affairs and the end of paternalism.”

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani met Sunday in Saudi Arabia with King Abdullah and other officials in the influential Sunni powerhouse. Ahead of the trip, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said the kingdom plays no favorites and views Iraq’s political blocs from “the same distance.”

Al-Maliki made a veiled allegation Monday that other countries were trying to influence the probe of some 750,000 ballots his party has questioned.

“Leave Iraqis to present their complaints and to judge these complaints according to law,” he said, again without identifying specific countries.

Al-Maliki has tried to dispel fears that Sunnis would be neglected by a Shiite-led government. He spoke Monday at a meeting of the Committee for National Reconciliation with former Sunni fighters known as Sons of Iraq who sided with American forces against al-Qaida.

Many of the fighters were former insurgents who switched sides, but al-Maliki said recent attacks against them by al-Qaida in Iraq show that they are to be “trusted” by the government.

“We promise that we and the security services will be on your side,” al-Maliki said.

He added that military leaders have told him that Iraq’s intelligence services could benefit from working with the Sons of Iraq as partners to draw on their knowledge of al-Qaida sleeper cells.

Many fear the political deadlock in the country could be fueling a recent wave of deadly violence.

The most brutal attacks in the past two weeks include a triple suicide bombing outside foreign embassies in Baghdad, the execution-style slaying of Sunni villagers and a slew of explosions that ripped through residential areas. More than 120 people have died in the attacks.

On Monday, a suicide car bomb blew up next to a police patrol west of the northern city of Mosul, killing a civilian and a policeman, while injuring 22 other people, a police officer said.

Outside Baghdad, a bomb went off midday next to an Iraqi army patrol, killing two soldiers and injuring seven, another police officer said. Both men spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release details to the press.

Associated Press Writer Bushra Juhi contributed to this report.