Iraq’s prime minister thanked a joint session of Congress on Wednesday for opposing terrorism in Iraq, but refused to apply theterrorist label to Hezbollah, which attacked Israel 15 days ago.
“Thank you for your continued resolve in helping us fight the terrorists plaguing Iraq,” Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told lawmakers.
“Many around the world underestimated the resolve of Iraq’s people and were sure that we would never reach this stage,” he said. “Few believed in us. But you, the American people, did, and we are grateful for this.”
Before the speech, Maliki had a breakfast meeting with congressional leaders, some of whom took issue with his recent characterization of Israel as the aggressor in the conflict with Hezbollah, which the United States and Israel regard as a terrorist organization.
“I asked him directly: Do you believe that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization?” said Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill. “He would not respond to that question.”
Durbin said: “I wish he had answered that forthrightly, because I think it would have given greater credibility to his statement opposing terrorism in the address to the joint session.”
During his speech, Maliki took a veiled swipe at Democrats who have argued that the Iraq war is separate from the broader war on terror.
“I know that some of you here question whether Iraq is part of the war on terror,” he said. “Let me be very clear: This is a battle between true Islam, for which a person’s liberty and rights constitute essential cornerstones, and terrorism, which wraps itself in a fake Islamic cloak — in reality, waging a war on Islam and Muslims and values.”
Maliki’s speech was interrupted numerous times by applause and once by a woman heckler who shouted: “Iraqis want the troops to leave! Bring them home now!”
She was removed from the chamber at the direction of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.
Maliki made clear that he does not want U.S. troops to leave until Iraqi forces are ready to take over security of the war-torn nation. He said premature withdrawal would be a repeat of 1991, when the elder President Bush encouraged Iraqis to rise against Saddam Hussein and then declined to intervene when the uprising was crushed.
“In 1991, when Iraqis tried to capitalize on the regime’s momentary weakness and rose up, we were alone again,” he said. “Let 1991 never be repeated, for history will be most unforgiving.”
