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Iraqi Premier Blames Sunni Rival For Backlog

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By HAMZA HENDAWI, The Associated Press

Published: November 21, 2007

BAGHDAD - Iraq's prime minister lashed out at the country's Sunni Arab vice president in an interview published Tuesday, drawing attention to a bitter rift between two key politicians from rival sects at a time the United States is pressing for Iraqi unity.

Also Tuesday, a U.S. military helicopter crashed near Salman Pak, southeast of Baghdad, killing two soldiers and wounding 12, the military said. It said initial reports indicated the crash was not a result of hostile fire. The military did not give the type of helicopter or nationalities of the victims.

The outburst by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, printed in a newspaper read throughout the Arab world, occurred as U.S. officials are urging the Iraqis to take advantage of a downturn in violence to resolve their differences before next year's planned drawdown of U.S. forces.

In the interview, published by Al-Hayat, a London-based Arabic-language daily, al-Maliki, a Shiite, said Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi was to blame for a backlog of legislation adopted by parliament but not yet ratified by the three-man presidential council of which the Sunni is a member.

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