Iraq VP to Biden: Obama's "Reputation On the Line" Over Gaza
Share and save this post:
AlterNet Social Networks:
Also in World
Obama Will Announce 34,000-Troop Escalation in Afghanistan 'Within Days'
Did American Commandos Slaughter Afghan Civilians in Bala Murghab? Residents Say Yes.
Mustafa Saber
Blackwater's Secret War in Pakistan Revealed
Jeremy Scahill
The Obama Speech America Is Dying to Hear: "This Administration Ended, Rather Than Extended, Two Wars"
Tom Engelhardt
Are We Really 'Withdrawing' from Bush's Wars? Quietly, US Constructs Even More Bases in the Mideast
Nick Turse
The Story of 500 Years of Global Greed and Misery
Lucy Komisar
Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi said on Tuesday that the silence of new U.S. President Barack Obama regarding the tragedy in the Gaza Strip harms U.S. interests, urging the new administration to intervene to force Israel to stop aggressions on Gaza, a statement from al-Hashemi's office said.
"Al-Hashemi received at his office U.S. Vice President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday (Jan. 13) and told him that Iraqis, mainly Arabs and Muslims, are looking for the new U.S. administration to make real changes in the foreign policy," said the report received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
"The new administration's reputation is on the line with the new president's silence, who adopted a different opinion regarding the recent bombings in Mumbai," it added.
He urged the new administration under Obama to "intervene to force Israel to stop the aggression on Gaza in implementation of the UN Security Council number 1860 in this regard."
After days of diplomatic wrestling, the Security Council on Jan. 8 adopted the resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces.
The 15-nation council approved the resolution with 14 voting in favor. The United States abstained.
On Monday (Jan. 12) afternoon, Biden arrived on a surprise visit to Iraq and met with Talabani and his deputy, Adel Abdelmahdi. Biden voted for the 2003 invasion of Iraq but later became a critic of the war and the way in which President George W. Bush was executing it.
He is best known in Iraq as the author of a 2006 plan to divide the country into self-governing Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish enclaves -- an idea that offended many Iraqi politicians and was quietly put on the back burner as violence ebbed.
See more stories tagged with: iraq, israel, palestine, barack obama, gaza, sunnis, kurds, shiites, joe biden, tareq al-hashemi, mumbai
Liked this story? Get top stories in your inbox each week from World! Sign up now »
Support AlterNet
Do you value the information you're getting from AlterNet? Please show your support with a tax-deductible donation.
Feedback
Tell us how we're doing.
EMAIL
PRINT
9 COMMENTS
