Annan Says Iraq Is Close to a Civil War

Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel listens as President Bush speaks about immigration reform in Omaha, Neb., in this Wednesday, June 7, 2006 file photo. "If the president fails to build a bipartisan foundation for an exit strategy, America will pay a high price for this blunder, one that we will have difficulty recovering from in the years ahead," Hagel wrote in the Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006 Washington Post. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) (Charles Dharapak - AP)

Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, a spokesman for coalition forces in Iraq, declined Monday to say whether Iraq had plunged into civil war.

"No. What we have right now... What I would tell you is, ... we have violence that are at unacceptable levels at the moment," he said in an interview from Baghdad with Associated Press Radio. "It had been on a downward trend for about four solid weeks."

"The vast majority of the citizens here want to live in a peaceful secure city. That's what their desire is," Caldwell said.

The Bush-Maliki summit on Wednesday and Thursday, coupled with Cheney's trip to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, is evidence of the administration's stepped-up effort to bring stability to the region.

The host of the meeting, Jordan's King Abdullah, said Sunday the problems in the Middle East go beyond the war in Iraq. He said much of the region soon could become engulfed in violence unless the central issues are addressed quickly.

The king said he was hopeful the leaders will find a way to reduce the level of violence. "We hope there will be something dramatic. The challenges, obviously, in front of both of them are immense," he said.

Iraq's leaders promised Sunday to track down those responsible for the recent attacks, and al-Maliki urged his national unity government of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds to curb the violence by stopping their public disputes.

The Iraqi prime minister is under pressure from Shiite politicians loyal to the radical anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr who have threatened to boycott parliament and the Cabinet if al-Maliki meets with Bush.

"This is all political posturing. It's all red herring. It's an anti-threat. This is a very stable government," responded Iraq's national security adviser, Mouwafak al-Rubaie. He said he had no doubt the prime minister would meet with Bush in Jordan.