Heat Rises Between Iraq PM and Petraeus

Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki meets with an Iraqi army officer in Baqouba, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, July 26, 2007. Prime Minister al-Maliki was in Baqouba to meet with local leaders about improving the quality of life for local residents following military operations to drive out Sunni extremists. (AP Photo/Talal Mohammed) (Talal Mohammed - AP)

"It is possible that we may demand his removal," al-Askari said.

A lawmaker from the al-Sadr bloc, who wouldn't allow use of his name because of the political sensitivity of the matter, said al-Maliki once told Petraeus: "I can't deal with you anymore. I will ask for someone else to replace you."

Such a request isn't likely to get much of a hearing in Washington, where the Bush administration presents Petraeus as one general who can improve the Iraq situation.

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told Newsweek magazine the Petraeus-al-Maliki relationship is "difficult." For one thing, the Americans retain control of the Iraqi military. "The prime minister cannot just pick up the phone and have Iraqi army units do what he says. Maliki needs more leverage," Zebari said.

The prime minister has complained to President Bush about the policy of arming Sunnis, said the Sadrist lawmaker.

"He told Bush that if Petraeus continues doing that, he would arm Shiite militias. Bush told al-Maliki to calm down," according to this parliament member, who said he was told of the exchange by al-Maliki.

In Washington, White House officials who have sat in on Bush's video conferences with al-Maliki denied that exchange took place.

In a public outburst earlier this month, al-Maliki said American forces should leave Iraq and turn over security to Iraqi troops. He quickly backpedaled, but the damage was done.

"There is no leader in the world that is under more pressure than Nouri al-Maliki, without question. Sometimes he reflects that frustration. I don't blame him," Crocker told The Associated Press.

"We are dealing with existential issues. There are no second-tier problems," said the veteran Middle East diplomat. "And we all feel very deeply about what we're trying to get done. So, yeah, sometimes there are sporty exchanges. And believe me, I've had my share of them.

"That in no way means, in my view, strained relations," Crocker said. "Wrestling with the things we're all wrestling with here, it would almost be strange if you didn't get a little passionate from time to time."

Petraeus called his relations with al-Maliki "very good ... and that's the truth." But he acknowledged, "We have not pulled punches with each other."

In an interview with the AP, the U.S. commander noted that more than 3,600 U.S. military personnel have given their lives in Iraq, "and where we see something that could unhinge the progress that our soldiers and their soldiers are fighting to make ... or jeopardize some of the very hard-fought gains that we have made, I'm going to speak up. And I have on occasion. And on a couple of occasions have demonstrated the full range of emotions."

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Associated Press Military Writer Robert Burns contributed to this report.