28 November 2006
Bush Blames Iraq's Sectarian Violence on al-Qaida
Dismisses the idea of direct talks with Iran without enrichment suspension
Washington -- President Bush acknowledges that al-Qaida militants sparked a period of sectarian violence in Iraq with the February bombing of the Shiite Askariyya Mosque in Samarra, and says he looks forward to his meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to discuss strategies for overcoming the violence.
“The Samarra bombing that took place last winter was intended to create sectarian violence, and it has,” Bush told reporters during a November 28 press availability in Tallinn, Estonia. He said fomenting sectarian violence was the goal of the late Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was al-Qaida’s leader in Iraq. The November 23 attacks that left more than 200 people dead in heavily Shiite Sadr City were “part of a pattern that has been going on for about nine months.”
Bush said he would raise this issue with al-Maliki when he meets with the Iraqi prime minister in Amman, Jordan, November 29 and 30. (See related article.)
“My questions to him will be: What do we need to do to succeed? What is your strategy in dealing with the sectarian violence? I will assure him that we will continue to pursue al-Qaida to make sure that they do not establish a safe haven in Iraq,” he said.
Bush said the violence in Iraq is reflective of a larger trend in the Middle East where al-Qaida and other extremists work to undermine emerging democracies “because a democracy will be a major defeat for those who articulate extremist points of view.” He pointed to Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories as other places where extremists are using violence to resist the growth of democracy.
The president said it is the responsibility of al-Maliki’s government to confront the sectarian violence, but the United States stands prepared to help. “By far, the vast majority of the [Iraqi] people want to live in peace,” he said. “Twelve million people voted. They said, ‘We want to live under a constitution which we approved.’ And our objective must be to help them realize their dreams.”
Bush dismissed the idea that the United States might engage in direct talks with Iran over the situation in Iraq or any other issue before Iran verifiably suspends its uranium enrichment program.
“Iran knows how to get to the table with us,” he said, “… and that is [to] verifiably suspend the enrichment program. And then we'll be happy to have a dialogue with them.”
The Untied States believes Iran’s enrichment program, which is currently the subject of a sanctions resolution at the U.N. Security Council, is aimed at developing nuclear weapons.
However, the president welcomed Iraq’s discussions with Tehran, saying, “Iraq is a sovereign nation which is conducting its own foreign policy. They're having talks with their neighbors. And if that's what they think they ought to do, that's fine. I hope their talks yield results.”
The United States has accused Iran of supporting violence in Iraq and working to undermine the Iraqi government.
A transcript of the press availability is available on the White House Web site.
For more information on U.S. policy, see Iraq Update and Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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