JORDAN: Joradanians take to the streets and protest as US President George W. Bush arrives in Jordan for Iraq crisis talks

U.S. President George W. Bush arrived in Jordan on Wednesday (November 29) for crisis talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, whose own position has been eroded by blunt White House criticism and the loss of a key Shi'ite ally. Bush, who arrived in Amman after attending a NATO summit in Latvia, is under growing pressure to change course to prevent Iraq dissolving in a maelstrom of sectarian strife and to secure an honourable exit for 140,000 U.S. troops. While in Latvia, Bush blamed al Qaeda for the violence and vowed not to pull troops out "before the mission is complete". He denied Iraq had already plunged into civil war. U.S. misgivings about Maliki's leadership surfaced in a sometimes scathing memo written by national security adviser Stephen Hadley and published by the New York Times. Hadley told Bush in the November 8 document that Maliki needed political help and a possible shake-up of his seven-month-old national unity government of hostile factions. It describes the Iraqi leader as a man who "wanted to be strong but was having difficulty figuring out how to do so", and questions whether he shares Washington's vision for Iraq. The White House said on Wednesday it had confidence in Maliki and wanted to strengthen his position. Iranian-backed cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who leads the Mehdi Army militia, carried out his threat to boycott parliament and Maliki's coalition if the premier met the U.S. president. Sadr's faction, which helped elect Maliki to his post, denounced his visit to see Bush as "a provocation to the Iraqi people". It was not clear how long the boycott would last. Bush and Maliki are due to meet for a dinner hosted by King Abdullah and for a working breakfast on Thursday (November 30). The meetings were expected to be a give-and-take on how to improve the situation, and "not the president dictating terms," a U.S. official said. A bold announcement was not expected. Maliki and Bush said they would discuss transferring more control to Iraqi security forces and the role other countries in the region could play to stem bloodshed and chaos in Iraq. Bush has rejected direct U.S. talks with Iran over helping to stabilise Iraq, saying Tehran must first stop nuclear fuel enrichment. But he said it was up to Baghdad to decide on its relations with neighbouring Iran and Syria, both U.S. foes. Bush's visit to Amman was unpopular with some Jordanians. Hundreds took the streets before Bush's arrival and burnt American flags and posters showing the face of the US president. Bush, under pressure to change course in Iraq after his Republican party lost control of Congress in November elections, is to receive recommendations next month from a bipartisan panel headed by former secretary of state James Baker.

ITN Source | November 30, 2006

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