Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told US President George W. Bush by videolink that the first few days of their countries' joint security plan in Baghdad had been a great success. "He told President Bush that the security plan had seen dazzling success during its first days and that the government will deal with every outlaw in a firm manner whatever group they belong to," according to his office.
Some Sunni Iraqis fear their Shiite prime minister might use the security plan as a cover to advance his own group's interests, but Maliki denies this, and cited the example of aid he said he was giving Sunnis in western Iraq.
"He said the sheikhs of the tribes in Anbar Province play a very important role in the hunt for Al-Qaeda and that the government will supply all kinds of support to these tribes and start reconstruction efforts," his office said.
According to Maliki's statement, Bush thanked him for showing leadership, and promised the United States would continue to support his efforts.
Bush has come under fire at home for vowing to send an extra 21,500 troops to join the 132,000-strong US force in Iraq in order to support Maliki's moves to pacify the capital, which is in the grip of a sectarian war.
The US House of Representatives was expected to vote later Friday to express their disapproval of the plan, which has already seen thousands of US and Iraqi troops deployed around Baghdad without encountering much resistance.
