VP Biden urges Iraqis to make political progress

BAGHDAD — Vice President Joe Biden pressed Iraqi leaders Friday to do more to foster national reconciliation and offered U.S. assistance in achieving that, as concerns grow that a lack of political progress is fueling violence in Iraq.

He stressed that America wanted to “build up” its partnership with Iraqi leaders even as it draws down its forces, starting with Tuesday’s deadline for pulling back combat troops from cities.

But protesters in Baghdad’s main Shiite district of Sadr City demonstrated against his visit, burning an American flag and chanting anti-U.S. slogans after Friday prayers.

Followers of anti-U.S. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr hold such demonstrations weekly after Friday prayers, but the rally underscored the challenges facing the United States as it begins drawing down its military forces and losing its dominance in Iraq.

“Iraq has traveled a great distance over the past year, but there is a hard road ahead if Iraq is going to find lasting peace and stability. It’s not over yet,” Biden said at a joint news conference after meeting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Biden, who was making the three-day visit to Iraq after being appointed to oversee the administration’s Iraq policy, said he came with a “clear message” of the U.S. commitment to Iraq’s success.

“There are still political steps that must be taken and Iraqis must use the political process to resolve their remaining differences and advance their national interest,” he said. “We stand ready, if asked and if helpful, to help in that process.”

The news conference was held in the same hall at al-Maliki’s ceremonial residence in which an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at former President George W. Bush during his last visit to Baghdad in December.

Biden arrived in Baghdad late Thursday for an unusually long visit that followed the withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops from Iraq’s cities and towns as part of a security agreement that will see all American soldiers out of the country by the end of 2011.

President Barack Obama also has said all combat troops will be gone by the end of August 2010, leaving 30,000 to 50,000 troops in advisory roles.

But Biden’s visit and his new position as Obama’s point man on Iraq reflect growing concern in the U.S. administration about a recent rise in violence after a series of bombings that killed scores of people.

Al-Maliki, a Shiite, has been criticized for failing to take advantage of security gains to make progress in overcoming disputes between Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds and other groups as divisions deepen before Jan. 30 general elections.

Wearing a tan suit and suede combat boots, Biden discussed the security situation, the capabilities of Iraqi forces and political issues in a morning meeting with Gen. Ray Odierno and Ambassador Christopher Hill, America’s top soldier and diplomat in Iraq.

He then traveled in a 22-vehicle motorcade after a sandstorm prevented him from flying to the walled-off Green Zone, which houses the U.S. Embassy and the Iraqi government headquarters, where he held meetings with al-Maliki and other senior Iraqi officials.

Biden expressed his concern that Arab-Kurdish tensions in northern Iraq might erupt into violence, according to a close al-Maliki aide who attended the meeting, which lasted just over an hour.

A senior U.S. administration official said all sides acknowledged the importance of moving forward on disputes over internal boundaries, the status of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and integrating Sunni fighters who fought with the Americans against al-Qaida in Iraq into official security services, according to a White House pool report.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the closed talks.

It was Biden’s first trip to Iraq as vice president, although he has traveled to the country as a senator and said he wanted to re-establish contacts with Iraqi leaders. He said this was the first of several trips to the region.

Violence remains at low levels in Iraq compared with previous years, but U.S. and Iraqi officials have warned of more attacks after the city withdrawal deadline and in the run-up to the elections.

At least 447 Iraqi civilians were killed in June, double the toll from the previous month, according to an Associated Press tally.

Al-Maliki has called the U.S. withdrawal from cities as a “great victory” and declared June 30 National Sovereignty Day.

On Friday, he expressed gratitude for the U.S. support.

“I have seen very clearly the keen determination from the vice president and his administration to support Iraq … and a great readiness to give us a lending hand and support anywhere we ask,” he said.

Biden also had breakfast with his son, Beau, an Army captain serving in Iraq, in the private room where the vice president spent the night.

Biden planned Saturday to speak at a naturalization ceremony for U.S. troops to mark the Fourth of July, then to travel to the semiautonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq for meetings with President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, and Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani.

Associated Press Writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this report.