Al-Sadr loyalists protest leader's meeting with Bush in Jordan

Lawmakers and Cabinet ministers loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr suspended participation in parliament and the government Wednesday to protest Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's planned meeting with President George W. Bush.\nThe leaders had been scheduled to hold talks in Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday, but the session was abruptly postponed a day shortly after Bush arrived.\nA statement from the 30 lawmakers and six Cabinet ministers said the meeting constituted a "provocation to the feelings of the Iraqi people and a violation of their constitutional rights." The statement did not explain that claim.\nThe support of the Sadrist bloc in the 275-member parliament was crucial to al-Maliki's election as prime minister this year, a fact that many see reflected in his reluctance to take action against the Mahdi Army, a militia loyal to al-Sadr and known to be behind much of the sectarian violence in Iraq.\nThe delay of the meeting between al-Maliki and Bush came after a White House memo was leaked to the media questioning the prime minister's capacity for controlling violence in Iraq. White House counselor Dan Bartlett denied that the move was a snub by al-Maliki or was related to the memo.\nBush was still scheduled to meet with Jordan's King Abdullah II on Wednesday. He and al-Maliki would hold talks Thursday to discuss ways to end the violence in Iraq.\nThe Sadrists had threatened to quit the government and parliament if al-Maliki went ahead with the meeting. By downgrading their protest to a suspension of membership, the politicians left open a return to their jobs at a later date.\nThe move, as well as its timing, were certain to weigh on al-Maliki during what could be the most important round of talks between an American and Iraqi leader since a U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003.\nDisbanding Shiite militias such as the Mahdi Army and Badr Brigade, which also is linked to a major Shiite political party, has been a key demand as the Bush administration looks for ways to contain the violence in Iraq and win over Sunni Arabs who make up the three-year-old insurgency. Nearly 3,000 U.S. military personnel have died in Iraq since the beginning of the war.\nWednesday's statement from the Sadrists also mirrored the resentment felt by the movement toward the United States and Bush, recalling the days in 2004 when the Mahdi Army fought U.S. troops in two major revolts in Baghdad and much of central and southern Iraq.\n"This visit hijacked the will of the people during days when the sons of Iraq write their destiny with blood and not ink," said the statement, which referred to Bush as "cursed," the "world's biggest evil" and a "criminal."\nThe statement also criticized al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated government for its decision to request from the United Nations a one-year extension of the stay in Iraq of the U.S.-led multinational force numbering about 160,000. The request was granted Tuesday.\nThe Sadr politicians argued that the multinational force played a "suspicious" role in Iraq and accused al-Maliki of ignoring the views of parliament by seeking a renewal of the deployment.\nIn Amman, about 300 people carrying Jordanian flags and anti-Bush banners marched through the University of Jordan to protest the president's visit.\nOne demonstrator held a sign that read: "You are not welcome in Jordan. You have our children's blood in your hands," while another said: "Bad Bush, you are not welcome in our homeland Jordan."\nStudents affiliated with the political arm of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood -- the country's largest opposition group -- organized the protest. The Islamic Action Front, which has 17 seats in Jordan's 110-member Parliament, opposes Bush's policies, which it regards as biased toward Israel and aimed at controlling Arab oil wealth.\nAnother 200 people from several moderate political parties staged a silent sit-in outside the Parliament building.\nSecurity was increased around the capital, with tanks and machine gun-toting troops dotting the main road from the airport. Soldiers with dogs were at downtown hotels.