Source:
LA TimesPrime Minister Nouri Maliki will visit the graves of American troops to offer a personal 'thank you' to those who gave their lives for the sake of a new Iraq.Reporting from Baghdad -- It's a gesture that couldn't have been made while U.S. forces were breaking down the doors of Iraqi homes and detaining residents by the thousands. Or when civilians were being killed by frightened American soldiers in sometimes careless shootings that have claimed an untold number of Iraqi lives.
But U.S. troops have now departed almost completely from the streets of Iraq's cities, and Prime Minister Nouri Maliki plans to visit the graves of American soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery during a trip to Washington this week and to offer a personal "thank you" to the men and women who gave their lives for the sake of a new Iraq.
It's a risky political move for a man who is facing a national election early next year. Maliki has been busily reinventing himself as an Iraqi nationalist in an effort to broaden his appeal beyond his Shiite Muslim constituency, and just three weeks ago, to the chagrin of U.S. officials, he was trumpeting the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq's cities as a "victory" for his government over the "occupiers."
With U.S. troops now confined to bases in the countryside and on track to leave altogether by the end of 2011, Maliki feels it is appropriate to make a public statement of appreciation to the American people, Iraqi officials say.
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq-visit20-2009jul20,0,6718181.story
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