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Length: 5:50
ANDERSON COOPER: More now on what America is up
against in Iraq.
In a moment, we will you about tens of millions of
dollars wasted on making Iraq a better place, and, by
extension, a safer place for Iraqis and Americans
alike.
First, though, the man President Bush is counting on
to hold a country together, Iraq's prime minister,
Nouri al-Maliki, talking today with CNN's Michael
Ware. He said he might request even more Americans
help, if circumstances call for it. He also had a
warning about using Iraq in America's confrontation
with Iran.
Here's Michael's report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iraqi
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is a man caught
between two great enemies. His country, he says, has
become a battleground for a hidden struggle between
Iran and the United States.
NOURI AL-MALIKI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through
translator): We have told the Iranians and the
Americans, we know you have a problem with each
other, but we're asking you to please solve your
problems outside of Iraq.
WARE: In an exclusive interview with CNN, Prime
Minister Maliki chose his words carefully, agreeing
with U.S. intelligence assessments of Iranian
meddling in Iraq, yet supporting neither Washington,
nor Tehran, urging both powers to leave his country
be.
(on camera): Is American intelligence wrong when it
says Iran is working to kill American soldiers in
your country?
AL-MALIKI (through translator): Why is it wrong? I
didn't say it does not exist. When the Americans say
their intelligence says Iran is killing their
soldiers, it means their intelligence is based on
information they have got. This is not an obscure
thing.
WARE (voice-over): Though his government only came
into being through U.S. intervention, Maliki says he
won't allow the U.S. to use Iraq as a base to attack
either Syria or Iran.
AL-MALIKI (through translator): And we will not
accept Iran using Iraq as an opportunity to attack
the American forces. But does this not exist? It
exists. And I assure you it exists, because it is
based on the struggle between the two countries.
WARE: And all of this amidst an unrelenting war
against his government and the occupying U.S. forces
by a homegrown insurgency and al Qaeda; enemies, he
claims, strengthened by U.S. blunders.
AL-MALIKI (through translator): We say that a big
part in the existence of the terrorist organizations
are the mistakes that have been committed in the
process of building the Iraqi security forces.
WARE: Mistakes he insists have also compromised
attempts to dismantle Iraq's powerful militias.
(on camera): Your own security forces are heavily
penetrated by the very militias that you are going
after. Do you have their loyalty?
AL-MALIKI (through translator): They exist. And I
pointed to that, because we, unfortunately, inherited
this from the wrong process of building the troops
that started after the fall of the regime.
Nevertheless, we have taken a number of measures and
operations to cleanse these forces.
WARE (voice-over): As for the White House plan to
send 21,000 additional troops to Iraq, Maliki
believes the new strategy will work, but says that's
not his only option.
AL-MALIKI (through translator): If there seems to be
more need, we will ask for more troops, because the
success of the Baghdad security plan for us and for
the U.S. administration is an important and sensitive
job.
WARE: More troops, political deals, and
reconciliation -- anything, he says, to avoid
drowning the country in blood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Michael joins us now from Baghdad.
Michael, how relevant is Maliki now? I mean, does he
have real power?
WARE: Well, this is the question. This is the litmus
test for America's partner here in Iraq.
We saw President Bush, in his State of the Union
address, turn to the government of Prime Minister
Nouri al-Maliki and say that this new strategy that
was being undertaken is going to demand more of this
government.
What President Bush was saying is that Nouri
al-Maliki has promised to deliver time and time and
time again, and he has failed to do so. Is that
because he's incapable or because he's complicit with
these militias that he's failed to address?
We do know that he was put into power through a
political deal by one of the most powerful militias
in the country, the Mahdi army, led by anti-American
cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Now, in a country where political power, the currency
of power, still comes at the end of a barrel of a
gun, this prime minister has no militia. Yet, his
government is an alliance of armed militias.
So, him trying to exert any kind of authority is an
extraordinarily difficult thing. Yet, this is
America's key to withdrawing from Iraq.
COOPER: Very quickly, Michael, just on a personal
basis, what's he like?
WARE: This is a very, very polished politician.
Yet, he also appears very strong, very measured,
obviously, in his words. Yet, he comes with a
bearing. I mean, he doesn't betray the fact that this
man is under intense pressure.
Yet, you can still see within him the cracks
beginning to emerge. And you could hear in his -- in
what he had to say the strains that are obviously
appearing in the relationship with the United States.
COOPER: All right. Michael Ware -- thanks, Michael.
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Length: 4:43
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