November 11, 2008. Copyright 2008, Graphic News. All rights reserved

U.S. friend Al-Maliki becomes his own man in Iraq
By Joanna Griffin

LONDON, November 11, Graphic News:  Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki is certain that the time has come for Iraq to take charge of its own affairs, but he cannot say if and where Baghdad might look for help in future after the United States has withdrawn from the strife-torn country.

Like many prominent Iraqi politicians of his generation, Al-Maliki spent much of his career underground (for many years he was still known as Jawad, the name he had used in the resistance movement against Saddam Hussein) before becoming prime minister in 2006. He helped to write a new constitution, and he signed Saddam's death warrant.

Born near the town of Hilla in 1950, Al-Maliki studied Arabic literature and joined the Dawa party, a Shiite political opposition group, in the late 1960s. After Saddam sentenced him to death, he went into exile in Iran and Syria. After the U.S. invasion, Al-Maliki was plucked from relative obscurity to play a key role in the commission charged with forming a government that would unite all religious and political groups.

Since then he has become increasingly critical of the U.S. presence in Iraq, particularly of its attacks on civilians. Though he was once dependent on U.S. backing for his job, he insists he has never been "America's man in Iraq", and he has put his foot down about a timetable for U.S. withdrawal. This patriotic stance has increased Al-Maliki's credibility, as has his successful handling of the Madhi Army in Basra -- with Iran's help.

Al-Maliki has said that he never wanted to be prime minister and observers say he is not motivated by personal political power. In any case, his stated objective may be much more elusive: a harmonious coexistence of all groups in Iraq.
/ENDS