By NNN-KUNA
Baghdad : Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki has said the Iraqi government has succeeded in driving away the “ghost of civil and sectarian war,” noting that his cabinet was now focusing on taking control of the security file, activating conciliation and pushing forward the political process.
“The government is placing as priority the taking over of the security file and the reconstruction of our armed forces,” Maliki was quoted as saying in a meeting with visiting US Congressmen Sunday.
“Building the armed forces, activating the national conciliation and developing the political process will speed up the reduction of the multi-national forces … then only the Iraqi sons and armed forces will defend Iraq,” Maliki said, according to the statement released by his office.
He underlined that the success of democracy was the greatest blow to dictatorship.
Maliki said the security and military authorities have been developing, thus restoring order in the country, and driving away the fear of sectarian and civil wars.
The prime minister, who thanked the Congressmen for their support for the Iraqi people, praised the support of the Iraqi tribes in the fight against terrorism. “This is the fruit of national conciliation,” he added.
The US Congress had two weeks ago adopted a non-binding resolution to divide Iraq into three parts — Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis — with a federal government responsible for border control and oil revenues. But the Iraqi government and parliament rejected the resolution.