The White House
President George W. Bush
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For Immediate Release
October 26, 2006

Setting the Record Straight: Mainstream Media Reports Inaccurate; Distort Prime Minister Maliki's Press Conference

      Setting the Record Straight

Reports Draw Incorrect Conclusions By Taking Prime Minister Maliki's Remarks Out Of Context

Prime Minister Maliki Was Asked Whether He Agreed With Setting An 18-Month Timeline For The Withdrawal Of Coalition Forces

Prime Minister Maliki Was Clarifying That The U.S. Government Is NOT Pursuing A Timeline For Withdrawing Forces

News Reports Are Taking Prime Minister Maliki's Comments Out Of Context

Prime Minister Maliki And President Bush Agree On Sadr City Raid And Pursuing Illegal Militias

Reuters Reports That Prime Minister Maliki Said "The Raid Had His Backing." "Maliki said the raid had his backing but argued that it was conducted in a heavy handed way that could wreck a political deal he had worked on with Moqtada al-Sadr, a radical anti-American cleric who controls the Mehdi Army Shi'ite militia. Maliki had appeared to disavow the raid at a news conference on Wednesday, saying he had not been consulted, but he told Reuters his problem was with an operation in the same area which was part of the hunt for a kidnapped American soldier." (Paul Holmes and Mariam Karouny, "Exclusive: Maliki Says Iraqi Death Squad Leader Escapes U.S. Raid," Reuters, 10/26/06)

Prime Minister Maliki: "I Clearly Said We Instructed Our Security And Military Services To Act Against Any Illegal Or Illegitimate Display Of Arms." "The security measures I talked about provide the necessary ground for the adoption of the method of confronting rebellion and encroachment on state prestige by force. Therefore, I clearly said we instructed our security and military services to act against any illegal or illegitimate display of arms." ("Iraqi PM Says No Deadline For US Pullout, Rejects Militias At News Conference," BBC Monitoring International Reports, 10/26/06)

Prime Minister Maliki And President Bush Agree On Coordination

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