Middle East News
US Vice President Biden in Iraq to push political reconciliation
Jul 2, 2009, 17:32 GMT
Washington - US Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Iraq to push the country's leaders to make progress towards political reconciliation, the White House said Thursday, days after the withdrawal of US troops from cities and towns.
Biden was to meet with President Jalal Talabani, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other officials to nudge along negotiations for establishing long-term stability in Iraq.
'He will discuss with Iraq's leaders the importance of achieving the political progress that is necessary to ensure the nation's long- term stability,' the White House said.
US forces met Tuesday's deadline to withdraw from urban areas as part of last year's agreement between Washington and Baghdad.
President Barack Obama and his generals are optimistic Iraqi forces are capable of handling security challenges despite the recent spate of violence, but have expressed deeper concerns about the lack of progress by Iraqi leaders in tackling a host of thorny issues.
The Iraqi government is still struggling to overcome differences between Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds over how to share oil revenue and how much power Baghdad should share with provincial governments - issues that are considered essential to alleviating the tension between the groups.
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