President Barack Obama assured visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Friday that the United States wants to be a strong partner in bringing about a stable and inclusive Iraq amid a rapid spike in sectarian violence that threatens security across the country.
But following a private meeting in the Oval Office, Obama made no public commitment of military equipment or other assistance that al-Maliki is seeking. The Iraqi leader says U.S. help is vital to containing the security threat in his country posed by a growing al-Qaida.
Obama said he urged al-Maliki to pass an election law so Iraqis can express their differences politically as opposed to using violence. The United States has been seeking to pressure al-Maliki to stop his Shiite-led government's political mistreatment of Sunnis and hold him accountable for a failure to govern inclusively.