Bush, Iraqi leader talk of political reconciliation, civilians' deaths

Source: Associated Press
NEW YORK – President Bush pressed Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Tuesday to move on stalled measures deemed critical to political reconciliation, while al-Maliki made clear his unhappiness about the killing of Iraqi civilians by private U.S. security contractors.
Meeting face to face for the second time this month, the two leaders used polite diplomatic language to talk publicly about tense issues.
It was a sign of how little room each has to maneuver: The Iraqi prime minister owes his still-tenuous political survival in large part to staunch White House support, and Bush, even if dissatisfied with al-Maliki's leadership in some areas, recognizes there is virtually no alternative to replace him.
Al-Maliki defended his government's performance while saying "the task before us is gigantic."
The prime minister brought up his own deep frustration about Blackwater USA, a private contractor whose security guards are blamed for killing 11 Iraqi civilians while escorting a diplomatic convoy in Baghdad.
Later, Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, said al-Maliki said behind closed doors that Iraqi sovereignty must be respected. The two agreed there should be "better cooperation and coordination in these operations," and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice followed with a more detailed discussion with the prime minister, Hadley said.
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