Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Sunday the deaths of civilians at the hands of Blackwater USA guards and other violence involving the company pose "serious challenges to the sovereignty of Iraq" and cannot be accepted. "The Iraqi government is responsible for its citizens and it cannot be accepted for a security company to carry out a killing," he told The Associated Press, ahead of his appearance at the U.N. General Assembly.
Noting that Blackwater has been linked to at least seven incidents involving gunfire on Iraqi civilians, he conveyed: "There are serious challenges to the sovereignty of Iraq."
However, Maliki left open the possibility that Iraq and the United States would work toward a solution to the problem of Blackwater. "We have coordinated with the American side to establish a joint committee to ascertain the facts and hold accountable" those responsible, he said.
In the interview, Maliki defended his government and spoke up for the rights of Iraqis to manage their own affairs. According to him, his country is making progress toward political reconciliation and that 2008 would be a year of political and economic progress and reconstruction for Iraq.
Al-Maliki was dismissive of some of the criticism directed at him by Washington politicians in recent months. The Iraqi leader said it is normal for any government to be criticized, but he feels certain that he has the backing in Washington he needs.
"What is important is that it did not come from the American administration or President Bush," he said of his critics. "That it comes from other areas ... for other reasons, is not a concern of mine. ... It means nothing for me," he said.
