Scholarships

Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – Republican Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain on Monday criticized the policies of visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Barack Obama for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq.

In a statement issued on the eve of the joint press conference by al-Maliki and Obama, McCain said, “The meeting between President Obama and Prime Minister Maliki today cannot obscure the fact that both men have failed in their responsibilities with regard to our shared security interests.”

Citing the domestic political factors as driving forces behind the withdrawal of American forces, Sen. McCain said, “The sacrifices of both our peoples in a long and costly war, the continued needs of Iraq’s Security Forces, and the enduring U.S. interest in a stable and democratic Iraq all demanded a continued presence of U.S. troops beyond this year.”

The dampening statement was in sharp contrast to optimism expressed by both Obama and al-Maliki. Obama said at a joint press conference, “The Prime Minister and I are reaffirming our common vision of a long-term partnership between our nations,” adding, “Simply put, we are building a comprehensive partnership.”

Calling the emerging successful, inclusive, democratic Iraq as a model for the entire region, the President stressed that the U.S. had “an enormous investment of blood and treasure in Iraq,” reiterating that, “It’s well understood both in Iraq and here in the United States that our commitment to Iraq’s success is going to be enduring.”

Asked about his 2002 statement that invading Iraq would be a “dumb war,” Obama said history would judge the decision to invade.

On the region’s sanguinary oppression in Syria, Obama said he, along with al-Maliki, agreed that the Assad regime’s repression of its people is a problem. Al-Maliki, speaking through an interpreter said, “We honor the aspirations of the Syrian people. But I cannot have — I do not have the right to ask a president to abdicate.”

Answering a question about the U.S. drone lost in Iran, Obama, in a first acknowledgment that the drone was in Iranian hands, said, “As has already been indicated, we have asked for it back. We’ll see how the Iranians respond.”

Without getting drawn into divulging further details, Obama told journalists, “With respect to the drone inside of Iran, I’m not going to comment on intelligence matters that are classified.”

Earlier, a statement by al-Maliki’s office noted that he was accompanied by Minister of Transport Hadi Farhan al-Amiri, Minister of Trade Khairallah Babiker, Minister of Culture and Defense Agency Saadoun al-Dulaimi, national security adviser Faleh al-Fayad, and the President of the National Investment Commission Sami Raouf al-Araji, in addition to the chairman of the consultant firm Thamer Abbas Ghadban and media adviser to the prime minister, Ali Hadi al-Moussawi.

In a very unusual development, al-Maliki was later escorted by both the President Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden to a wreath-laying at Arlington, VA.

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