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BAGHDAD: Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. told Iraqi leaders on Friday that he and President Obama were committed to helping them resolve their political differences, but he warned that the United States would be unlikely to remain engaged in Iraq if the country reverts to sectarian violence, American officials said.
Biden spent the day in a series of closed-door meetings to assess Iraq’s political and security situation as part of his new role as an unofficial envoy for the Obama administration. He emerged from a session with Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to issue a carefully-worded statement — part offer of support, part nudge to action.
“The president and I appreciate that 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,” Mr. Biden said. “It’s not over yet.”
Calling on Iraqis to “use the political process to resolve their remaining differences and advance their national interest,” the vice president said that he and President Obama “stand ready, if asked and if helpful, to help in that process.”
But in private, officials said, Biden’s tone was more direct. One official said the vice president made clear that if Iraq returned to ethnic violence, the United States would be unlikely to remain engaged, “because one, the American people would have no interest in doing that, and as he put it, neither would he or the president.” |
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