August 06, 2007	Monday	Rajab 21, 1428

WASHINGTON, Aug 5: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday defended the Iraqi government's efforts to end sectarian strife there but warned that Baghdad leaders “need to work harder” on national unity.

Rice spoke as the Iraqi leaders geared for a crisis summit this week aimed at healing the feud between Shia and Sunni Muslims that has drained popular support here for the nearly 4-1/2-year-old US military operation.

“We've been very clear that we don't think that they have achieved enough and that they need to work harder,” she told Fox News Sunday television. “We've been very clear that there is an urgency to this.” But the chief US diplomat made a show of support for the government of Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, which she said could ram through long-anticipated reforms but preferred to first seek greater consensus.“There's no doubt that they have enough votes in coalition to pass a national oil law, that they could pass de-Baathification laws (to dismantle executed dictator Saddam Hussein's old party),” Rice said.

“But they are trying to do this by consensus. They are trying to do it in a way that brings all Iraqis together regardless of what sectarian or what confessional groups they come from, and that's very very hard.” The lack of Iraqi progress in ending sectarian bloodshed and a stubborn insurgency has fuelled calls in the United States for a timetable to start withdrawing the 155,000 US troops in the country.

Rice insisted the United States was making headway in Anbar province, a stronghold for the insurgents and Al Qaeda in Iraq where a growing number of local leaders have reportedly started to cooperate with US forces.

“We're not just talking about a few local sheikhs coming over to the side of the coalition,” she said.

“We're talking about these people deciding that they are going to take back their streets from Al Qaeda, they're going to take back their streets from terrorism and they are going to do it in cooperation with the United States.

“That is a major development and not a minor one.”

DEFENDS ARMS SALE: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended a $20 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, citing a brewing threat from Iran.

She rebuffed suggestions that Saudi Arabia has not done enough to support the US-backed government in Iraq, saying “I think we have good cooperation.” “We want all states to do more. But it makes no sense to leave our longtime strategic ally undefended in a region in which Iranian and other challenges are brewing,” she said in an interview with Fox television.

Rice returned to the United States on Friday from a Middle East trip that included talks with the Saudis in Jeddah on the situation in Iraq, US concerns about Iran, and Israeli-Palestinian issues.

The United States has put together an arms package worth at least $20 billion over 10 years to defend Saudi Arabia against Iran, which Washington believes is working to acquire nuclear weapons.

Few specifics have been disclosed, but US officials say the package includes missile defense systems, early warning systems, air defence and air power, and naval systems for Saudi Arabia's eastern fleet.—AFP