Maliki to Biden: Countries in region interfere in Iraqi affairs

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told U.S. Vice President Joe Biden that countries in the region, which he did not name, interfere in Iraq’s internal affairs and seek to influence the upcoming parliamentary election. This came in a meeting between the two high-ranking officials in Baghdad on Wednesday afternoon, according to a statement issued by Maliki’s office. Maliki accused Baathists of being behind the Bloody Wednesday bombing attacks in Baghdad. “The blasts were designed to destroy the political process in Iraq,” read the release as received by Iraqi News. He said that “some countries in the region are interfering in Iraqi affairs and seeking to influence the country’s forthcoming election on January 16, 2010”. “The elections will strengthen the democratic structure in Iraq,” Maliki said. “They will be national and involving no sectarian or ethnic tendencies”. He noted that the Iraqi government will do its best to ensure a safe, free and stable electoral environment throughout the country. For his part, Vice President Biden, who arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday Sept. 15, 2009, condemned the attacks that occurred in Baghdad last month and stressed Iraqi-U.S. efforts to combat terror. MH (S)/AmR 1