By JUSTIN BERGMAN
The Associated Press
Wednesday, September 26, 2007; 8:09 PM
UNITED NATIONS -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday that terrorism is threatening to erase any gains made in reducing sectarian killings and establishing democratic principles in his country.
He also warned that Iraq's neighbors must stop the continued flow into his country of weapons, suicide bombers and funding for terrorism, saying there would be "disastrous consequences" for the region and the world if they failed.
"National reconciliation is stronger than the weapons of terrorism," al-Maliki said. But he said healing is "not the responsibility of the government alone."
"Today we feel optimistic that countries of the region realize the danger of the terrorist attacks against Iraq, that it is not in their interest for Iraq to be weak," he said.
Al-Maliki praised what he said were many recent successes in Iraq. He cited the calming of regions like Anbar province in the west, a recent drop in sectarian killings and the return of thousands of displaced families to their homes.
"Our armed forces have been adamant in establishing law and order, as well as instilling a sense of respect for the government in many provinces which have diverse religious, sectarian and ethnic affiliations," he said.
Although al-Maliki claimed Anbar as a success, the calming of the province was a result of the efforts of a coalition of Sunni sheiks encouraged by U.S. military officers. Al-Maliki's Shiite government has been cool to the effort, paying it lip service while at the same time only slowly allocating funds for the area _ under strong U.S. pressure.
Sectarian killings are believed to have dropped _ largely through a combination of stepped-up U.S. military activity and a decision by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to freeze his Mahdi militia for six months.
And while there has been some movement of displaced people back to their homes, as al-Maliki claimed, the International Organization of Migration says such moves are often only temporary to check on the status of property.
Nevertheless, al-Maliki championed the emergence of democratic institutions.
He said the country has hundreds of political parties active within 20 political alliances, more than 6,000 civil organizations, hundreds of newspapers and magazines and 40 local and satellite TV stations.
But terrorists are targeting this "new Iraq," he said.
"Terrorism kills civilians, journalists, actors, thinkers and professionals. It attacks universities, marketplaces and libraries. It blows up mosques and churches and destroys the infrastructure of state institutions," al-Maliki said.
His statements came as a wave of bombings and shootings swept Iraq on Wednesday, killing at least 50 people and raising fears of a new al-Qaida offensive.
Al-Maliki noted the responsibility of Iraq's neighbors in helping stop the violence, saying "the continued overflow of weapons, money, suicide bombers and the spreading of 'fatwas' inciting hatred and murder will only result in disastrous consequences."
Washington has accused Iran of arming and aiding Shiite militias in Iraq that it says have killed hundreds of American troops with powerful bombs known as explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs. The U.S. has also accused Iran of training fighters and sending them into Iraq to attack American and Iraqi troops.
Iran disputes those allegations, saying it does not meddle inside Iraq.
Al-Maliki has been facing mounting criticism, most notably from congressional Democrats, for his inability to take advantage of a reduction in Baghdad violence to pass crucial legislation designed to share power among Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds and help end the insurgency.
President Bush pressed al-Maliki on Tuesday in New York to make progress in this area. A national oil law and other initiatives have stalled in the parliament amid factional bickering.
"Some politicians may be trying to block the law to gain special advantage," Bush said. "And these parties have got to understand that it's in the interests of Iraq to get good law passed."
In his speech, al-Maliki only briefly noted the proposed oil law, saying his government has completed work on it and was awaiting its approval by parliament.
Following al-Maliki's speech, Cuba's foreign minister launched a blistering attack on Bush in response to the U.S. leader's speech the day before in which he envisioned a Cuba without ailing leader Fidel Castro.
"In Cuba, the long rule of a cruel dictator is nearing its end," Bush said. "The Cuban people are ready for their freedom."
Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque accused Bush of "lying" about his respect for democracy and said he has "no moral authority or credibility to judge anyone."
"He came into office through fraud and deceit. We would have been spared his presence yesterday, and we would have listened to President Al Gore talking about climate change and the risks to our species," the Cuban minister said.
Perez Roque's condemnation of Bush was echoed by other speakers, including Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, who said his country had been singled out for criticism by the United States and Britain because of his government's resistance to their domination.
"(Bush) imprisons and tortures in Guantanamo, he imprisons and tortures at Abu Ghraib, he has secret torture centers in Europe," Mugabe said.
Bolivia's leftist President Evo Morales also dismissed Bush's criticism of Castro, saying the Cuban leader "sends troops to other countries to save lives, not like the president of the United States who sends troops to take lives."