Iraqi Premier Softens Tone About Saudis

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/17/world/middleeast/iraqi-premier-softens-tone-about-saudis.html

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WASHINGTON — One day after he sharply criticized Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in Yemen, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi of Iraq on Thursday said that he still wanted to maintain good ties with the Saudis and hoped that they would open an embassy in Baghdad soon.

“The embassy compound is ready and renovated,” Mr. Abadi said, “and I hope the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iraq is going to be restored as soon as possible.”

Mr. Abadi’s goal during his three-day visit here was to secure billions of dollars and additional American military support as Iraq seeks to roll back gains by Islamic State militants. But his visit also brought to light disputes over Yemen and Iran’s role in the region within the coalition that the White House has assembled to fight the militants.

Mr. Abadi acknowledged his differences with the Saudis in an appearance on Thursday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But his remarks were less pointed than those he made on Wednesday, when he said there was “no logic” to the Saudi airstrikes in Yemen.

He expressed concern that an escalation of the fighting there could fan sectarian tensions. “We are in the same boat on this in the region,” he said. “If anybody makes a hole in that boat, we all will sink.”

Relations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia were severely strained when Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, Mr. Abadi’s predecessor, was in office. The Saudis recently selected an ambassador to Iraq, but it is not clear when the embassy might open.

Even with the move toward somewhat improved ties, the diplomacy between Iraq and Saudi Arabia has been complex and sometimes tense. Saudi Arabia views Iran, which has been providing military support to Iraq, as an adversary.

And while the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government has been uneasy with Saudi Arabia’s role in Yemen, it is also looking for international support in rebuilding towns and cities that it hopes to take back from the Islamic State. Much of that support is to come from Saudi Arabia and other gulf states. Saudi Arabia and other Arab states also have influence with Sunni tribes that the Iraqi government is trying to work with against the Islamic State.

In other comments, Mr. Abadi, who took office last September, said he would like the United States to be able to carry out airstrikes more quickly against the Islamic State in Iraq.

“We are talking about the time scale between asking for a mission and actually getting that mission,” he said. “You want the enemy to be hit as quick as possible when you are moving forward.”

The United States has carried out more than 5,700 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. But their effectiveness has been constrained because Iraqi forces have a limited ability to take territory.

Another constraint is that the Obama administration has not authorized American troops to accompany Iraqi forces on the battlefield to identify targets and call in airstrikes.

Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said that he may recommend that American troops perform such a role when Iraqi forces move to retake Mosul from the Islamic State, or take on other complex battles.

Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona and the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, met with Mr. Abadi this week and later issued a statement urging the Obama administration to deploy more forces, including “air controllers to strengthen our air campaign.”