Originally published January 3, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified January 3, 2007 at 8:40 AM
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Iraqi PM: I have no interest in 2nd term
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WASHINGTON — Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he has no interest in a second term and wished he could be done before the end of his current term, in which rampant sectarian violence has defied hopes for unity.
Asked whether he would accept a second term, Maliki said in an interview published Tuesday by the Wall Street Journal: "Impossible."
"I wish it could be done with even before the end of this term. I would like to serve my people from outside the circle of senior officials, maybe through the parliament, or through working directly with the people," Maliki said.
"I didn't want to take this position. I only agreed because I thought it would serve the national interest, and I will not accept it again," he said. His term is intended to be four years, but it could be cut short by a power shift in parliament.
The interview, part of a larger article about him, was held Dec. 24.
Maliki, a Shiite, was sworn in in May as the head of a coalition of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, with hopes of averting a sectarian war.
U.S. troops detain 23 in Ramadi raids
BAGHDAD, Iraq — U.S. troops detained 23 people suspected of ties to senior al-Qaida leaders in raids today in western Iraq, the military said.
The raids took place in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province. Three suspects detonated an improvised explosive device and then ran into a house. U.S. troops shot one suspect, wounding him, the military said.
Seattle Times news services
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