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Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail Yahoo! Search Search: Sign InNew User? Sign Up News Home - Help Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Africa Europe Latin America Middle East North America Search Search: Analysis: Iraq's spat with Syria backfiring on PM By HAMZA HENDAWI,Associated Press Writer AP - Sunday, September 13 BAGHDAD - Iraq's prime minister is feeling a backlash over a bitter fight he picked with Syria, which he accuses of harboring Saddam Hussein loyalists suspected in deadly bombings in Baghdad. Critics say he just wants to divert attention from his own government's security failures. ADVERTISEMENT Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, is trying to shore up his position ahead of January parliamentary elections after the increase in violence in recent months deeply hurt his security credentials and after the Shiite coalition that once backed him split. But the spat with Syria has only isolated him among Iraqi politicians. It also could set back U.S. efforts to improve Iraq's relations with its Arab neighbors and normalize its own ties with Syria after years of tension. Significantly, the United States, which has 130,000 troops in Iraq, has remained largely silent about al-Maliki's accusations. That, say analysts, could suggest that it too does not fully support the charges or his handling of the dispute. Another explanation for U.S. wariness is that it does not want to appear to be meddling in Iraqi affairs after al-Maliki was angered when the Obama administration sent officials to Syria last month to discuss security on the Iraq border without inviting the Iraqis. Al-Maliki has blamed two Syria-based senior members of Saddam's now-outlawed Baath Party, along with al-Qaida, for planning massive bombings on Aug. 19 in Baghdad that killed more than 100 people. Syria says the Iraqi government has failed to provide proof, rejecting its requests for their extradition. A U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, Brig. Gen. Stephen Lanza, said the attacks bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida, but declined to be drawn into whether Syrian-based Baathists were also involved. "It's important to note that Iraq's Ministry of Interior continues to investigate the bombings. It would be purely speculation on my part to comment now on the investigation's findings," he said. Michael W. Hanna, an expert with the Century Foundation in New York, argued that the Syria-Iraq tiff created a "less than ideal" situation for the United States. "If there was a serious belief that these bombings were in fact masterminded in Damascus, I think you would have seen a more overt U.S. role," said Hanna. He also held out the possibility, however, that Washington's reluctance to speak publicly on the Syria-Iraq dispute may have been out of a desire to avoid the appearance of meddling in Iraqi affairs. Many Baath loyalists fled to Syria after the 2003 fall of Saddam, including several who are widely thought to be financing or planning attacks in Iraq. The U.S. and Iraq have long accused Damascus of not doing enough to prevent them and al-Qaida militants from crossing the border to carry out attacks in Iraq. Ties had markedly improved between Baghdad and Damascus over the past year. But with al-Maliki's accusations, they quickly fell apart again. The two countries, which had until Saddam's ouster been ruled by rival factions of Baath, withdrew their ambassadors and Iraq stepped up security on its porous border with Syria. An Arab and Turkish attempt to mediate at a Cairo meeting on Wednesday failed, with the Syrian and Iraqi foreign ministers angrily hurling accusations back and forth. The bombings _ which targeted the buildings of the finance and foreign ministries _ took place a day after al-Maliki returned from a visit to Damascus during which he gave the Syrians a list of Iraqis wanted in connection with violence. His visit followed the separate U.S.-Syrian meeting to discuss security at the Syria-Iraq border. An al-Qaida in Iraq front group claimed responsibility for the attacks, while a Syria-based faction of the Iraqi Baath party denounced the bombings Al-Maliki may have calculated that turning up the heat on Syria _ usually a safe political bet, especially among his Shiite constituents _ would boost his weakening chances of retaining his position in the parliamentary election. His status as prime minister once seemed a sure thing, after an alliance he led scored major victories in provincial elections last January. But his allies in the Shiite coalition that dominates parliament recently dumped him and his Dawa party, deeply hurting his chances of keeping a majority behind him after the upcoming vote. Last month's attacks discredited his claims that Iraqi forces were capable of handling security after U.S. forces pulled out of Iraqi cities in June. Increasing violence has undermined his carefully manufactured image as the leader who oversaw the insurgency's defeat. Now his rivals may be taking his spat with Syria as a further opportunity to erode his standing. Shiite Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi issued a statement this past week pointedly saying that blaming others for failures while taking credit for successes was not the ideal way to deal with Iraq's problems. Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, and his two deputies _ Abdul-Mahdi and Tariq al-Hashemi _ took the unusual step of publicly scolding the prime minister over the dispute with Syria, counseling calm and complaining that he was not consulting them on issues of national interest. Still, al-Maliki has persisted. He called on the U.N. Security Council to create an international tribunal to investigate the attacks, a move likely meant to touch a raw nerve in Damascus. President Bashar Assad's regime has for years feared being implicated by a U.N.-appointed court investigating the 2005 assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister. Iraqi analyst Hadi Cahlou said al-Maliki has to divert attention from the security failures, and Syria was the perfect target. "Al-Maliki was smart to export his problems," said Cahlou. "I think he will push this all the way because he needs Syrian concessions in order to defuse the anger of Iraqis." But veteran Arab affairs commentator Hoda al-Husseini saw al-Maliki's tactic as a risky gamble. Blaming Syria wins Damascus the sympathy of Sunni heavyweights Egypt and Saudi Arabia, two close U.S. allies that have always distrusted al-Maliki. "The problem al-Maliki has is that he doesn't have proof of Syrian involvement in the bombings," she wrote in the newspaper Asharq al-Awsat. "Al-Maliki is all alone in this standoff." ___ Hendawi is the AP's Middle East Correspondent. He has covered Iraq since 2003. Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Sign in to recommend this article » 0 users recommend Related Articles: World Afghan leader maintains lead in fraud-tainted pollAFP - Sunday, September 13 Honduran leader says U.S. voids visa because of coupReuters - Sunday, September 13 More than 50 civilians killed in Afghan attacksAFP - Sunday, September 13 Afghan attacks kill dozens as Karzai leads in pollReuters - Sunday, September 13 Iranian panel demands action against KarroubiAFP - Sunday, September 13 Most Popular – World Viewed Remains of Jesus-era synagogue found in Israel Britain apologises to WWII code-breaker hero Space shuttle Discovery lands safely in California One shot enough against swine flu, US studies confirm Giant statues reveal red hat secrets: study View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). 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