WASHINGTON — Four months after Iraq's new government took office, U.S. officials are growing impatient with leaders in Baghdad and pushing them to move more quickly on the difficult agenda confronting them.
The top U.S. goal in Iraq is to help the regime led by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki to suppress sectarian violence, strengthen the fragile government and economy and move toward national reconciliation, senior officials say. One of those officials, in a recent interview, praised goals Maliki had set in several of those areas, but suggested more could be done.
"The rhetoric has to be matched by concrete action," said the official, who asked to remain unidentified, citing the sensitivity of the subject. The Iraqi government "needs to begin acting, on the ground, on its own behalf."
Though the administration has confidence in the new prime minister, U.S. officials "are frustrated ... there is a little bit of impatience," another senior U.S. official said.
President Bush has voiced similar sentiments, stressing U.S. patience and pledging continued support in an Aug. 31 speech, "as long as the new government continues to make the hard decisions necessary to advance a unified, democratic and peaceful Iraq."
U.S. officials maintained that the election of a full-term government last December would finally enable Shiite Muslims, Sunni Arabs and Kurds to agree on political accords, opening the way to peace and stability. So far, however, the Iraqi government continues to be divided by factional quarrels, and sectarian violence is spiraling.
More than 30 bodies of victims slain execution-style were found Friday. Over the last five days, 142 such killings have been reported. In addition, two U.S. troops -- a Marine in Al Anbar province and a soldier in Baghdad -- were reported killed. The U.S. military also announced a soldier had been missing since Thursday, when a bomb exploded west of Baghdad and killed at least two troops.
U.S. and Iraqi officials announced a new effort Friday to cut off the flow of weapons and bombs into Baghdad. The plan, announced by Bush during a White House news conference and confirmed by Iraqi officials, is to dig a series of trenches that would form a perimeter of about 60 miles around the city. Checkpoints on every road leading in would restrict entry into the capital, Interior Ministry officials said.
Overall, Iraqi government services have not improved and the most contentious decisions lie ahead.
