Click photo to play
Length: 4:47
WOLF BLITZER: But let's
turn now to our CNN exclusive.
The Iraqi prime minister's stern message to the
United States and Iran to simply keep their would-be
war out of his backyard. Nouri Al-Maliki's very, very
strong comments today are driving home fears of a
wider war in the region.
CNN's Michael Ware is joining us from Baghdad with
more on his exclusive interview -- Michael.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, in an
exclusive interview today with Prime Minister Nouri
Al-Maliki, the Iraqi leader said that Iranian forces
have been targeting American troops. And he now
worries that his country is becoming a proxy
battleground between Tehran and Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
WARE: Is American intelligence wrong when it says
Iran is working to kill American soldiers in your
country?
NOURI AL-MALIKI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (THROUGH
TRANSLATOR): I didn't say it does not exist and the
Americans, when they say that their intelligence is
saying that Iranians are killing their soldiers, it
means their intelligence is based on information that
they got. And this is not an obscure thing.
There is a struggle between Iran and America and we
have told the Iranians and the Americans, we know
that you have a problem with each other, but we're
asking you, please, solve your problems outside of
Iraq.
We do not want the American forces to take Iraq as a
field to attack Iran or Syria. And we will not accept
Iran to use Iraq to attack the American forces.
But does this not exist?
It exists and I assure you it exists. But it is based
on the struggle between the two countries. And from
our side, we're trying to stop the effort to have a
struggle in Iraq. We are always encouraging the two
sides to negotiate and to try to find an agreement
away from Iraq.
Iran and America -- we are ready to pay efforts to
solve the problems between them, if it is possible.
But not on the account of Iraq. Iraq has nothing to
do with the American-Iranian struggle. And we will
not let Iran play a role against the American Army
and we will not allow America to play a role against
the Iranian Army and everyone should respect the
sovereignty of Iraq.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
WARE: Wolf, indeed, the prime minister said that all
of Iraq's neighbors -- from Turkey to Syria to Jordan
to Saudi Arabia -- want to interfere in Iraq's
internal affairs.
BLITZER: Michael, were you surprised that the prime
minister, Nouri Al-Maliki, was effectively equating
the Iranian president, Ahmadinejad, with the U.S.
president, George W. Bush?
WARE: Well, the prime minister is certainly a man
caught in the middle between these two powers,
represented by Washington and Tehran; by two
presidents.
He's straddling a very difficult divide. His
government exists only through the intervention of
the United States. He is propped up by U.S. forces
and Washington's support, yet he shares a very
important border with Iran.
Iran has enormous strategic interest in this country.
And in the past, during Saddam's regime, when the
prime minister was in opposition, Iran supported his
party and many other Shia opposition parties.
BLITZER: Because, you know, so much of this new U.S.
strategy depends on Nouri Al-Maliki cooperating with
the U.S. And when so many people here in Washington,
including the president's own Republican supporters,
hear Nouri Al-Maliki basically say to the United
States and to Iran, keep your proxy war out of Iraq,
they're going to say why is the United States
supporting this guy if, effectively, he's aligning
himself at least in part with Iran?
WARE: Well, to some degree. I mean this is real
politick -- what choice does Prime Minister Maliki
have?
And certainly U.S. officials and American commanders
here on the ground have been saying since the
beginning, since the invasion in 2003, that they
recognize that, yes, Iran does have interests in
Iraq, given its shared border and the
cross-pollination of the Shia people over that
border, and that also they would like to foster a
healthy relationship between Baghdad and Tehran.
However, what we've seen is this fierce competition
for influence being waged between Washington and
Tehran. And we're actually seeing it being fought out
militarily. So this relationship is veering into very
dangerous waters -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Michael Ware reporting for us from Baghdad.
Michael, thanks very much.
Click photo to play
Length: 5:12
WOLF BLITZER: From high
tech weapons to highly sophisticated insurgent
attacks that smack of outside help, are these the
signs that Iran is already fighting it out with the
United States in Iraq?
An ominous new turn in the Iraq War, and now Iraq's
leader is weighing in with some harsh words for both
sides.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NOURI AL-MALIKI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through
translator): Iran is Shiite and we are Shiite, and we
have many Shiites in Iraq. But this does not justify
Iran interfering in Iraq. We respect this
relationship. We will not allow such interference to
exist.
Also, Iraq is an Arab country. The majority are
Arabs. But this also will not justify for Arab
countries to interfere in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: And joining us now from Baghdad, our
correspondent, Michael Ware -- Michael, you had an
exclusive interview with the Iraqi prime minister,
Nouri Al-Maliki, in which he basically was telling
President Bush and the U.S. administration "keep your
so-called proxy war against Iran outside of Iraq."
What's his bottom line message?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, essentially
what he's trying to do is preserve the sovereignty of
his government. Yet at the same time, to some degree,
he's trying to keep two parties, equally powerful
here in this country -- arguably, two masters --
happy.
His government only exists because of American
intervention here in Iraq. They benefited from
American supported elections. Yet the party of Prime
Minister Al-Maliki during opposition, long decades of
opposition against Saddam, was supported by Iran.
And, indeed, we see that many of the factions that
have a stranglehold on this government continue to be
supported, politically and militarily, according to
American intelligence, by Iranian armed forces.
So Prime Minister Maliki is in a very precarious
position.
However, what we see is that amidst this campaign of
increasing American accusations against Iran with
regard to its interference here in Iraq, we see the
Iraqi prime minister siding with American
intelligence. He says that, yes, Iran is working to
kill American soldiers.
Nonetheless, he says, "take your rivalry and get it
out of my country."
BLITZER: He also said in the interview with you that
he thinks he's stronger than any of the militias in
Iraq, including Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.
Is he right?
WARE: Well, in the short answer, no, he's not. I mean
this government which he heads is little more than an
alliance or a coalition of armed militias, one of
which, the Mahdi militia, the Mahdi Army, headed by
anti-American rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, is
responsible for putting him into power.
Now, it has been argued by American commanders and
others that the prime minister has shielded Muqtada
himself and his militia and their strongholds from
American operations. Indeed, we saw during the recent
State of the Union Address, President Bush calling on
the Iraqi government to lift these unnecessary
limitations on military operations. That was
obviously a message regarding Muqtada al-Sadr and his
militia.
So this is a very, very difficult time and we're
seeing a lot of factors coming into play in a very
difficult crunch right now.
BLITZER: And he also told you, Michael, that he
believes that he and the Iraqi government, the Iraqi
military, can take over security operations, security
responsibility for all of Iraq in three to six
months. Now, that sounds very, very ambitious.
Is he right on that front?
WARE: Oh, that's beyond ambitious, Wolf. I mean
whilst Washington is in a mood for withdrawal and
this message would very much be welcomed, the prime
minister matched this claim with a challenge to
America. He said, "we can assume control in three to
six months if America steps up the arming and
training of our security forces."
Yet, these are security forces that are penetrated
heavily by the Shia militias, which American
intelligence says are linked to Iran.
At the same time, the prime minister says whilst he
believes in the new strategy that has been devised
between his government and the Bush administration,
he nonetheless leaves the door ajar for the
possibility that there may be a future need for an
escalation, an increase in U.S. troops numbers. And
that's something people in America certainly do not
want to hear.
BLITZER: Good work today, Michael.
Good to have you back in Baghdad.
Michael Ware, an exclusive interview with the prime
minister of Iraq, Nouri Al-Maliki.
Thanks very much.
WARE: Thank you, Wolf.