US shrugs off Maliki blast on 'national salvation' govt

The United States today shrugged off a warning by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that he would not accept a national emergency government, following US calls for an inclusive coalition to outride the current crisis.
US officials said they believed that Maliki was still committed to opening a process on piecing together a government on July 1, following his assurances to that effect to Secretary of State John Kerry.
In fact, there was some uncertainty in Washington as to what Maliki was referring when he said "the call to form a national emergency government is a coup against the constitution and the political process."

In Brussels, Kerry said that he was not sure "exactly what it is that he rejected or spoke to."
The US Secretary of State said there had been no discussion on framing a short-term national salvation government when he met Maliki and other leaders of different ethnic and religious sects in Baghdad this week.
"He committed to completing the electoral process, convening the new parliament and moving forward with the constitutional process for government formation," a senior US official said, on condition of anonymity.

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Maliki's speech had been "misinterpreted."
"We believe it's dire enough that they need to move as quickly as possible -- and we believe they can -- to form a government. But they should not do things outside of their own constitution," Marie said.

President Barack Obama and other top administration officials have repeatedly called on Iraq to produce a unified government that allows Kurds and Sunnis as well as Maliki's majority Shiite sect a place at the table.
They have also refused to endorse Maliki, leaving the impression that they would prefer another leader untainted by what they see as his overly sectarian governing style.