Agence France-Presse,
BAGHDAD (AFP): Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Wednesday called on the US authorities to replace private security operator Blackwater, after a deadly shootout involving the firm's guards in Baghdad.
Maliki's call came as US and Iraqi officials agreed to set up a joint commission of inquiry to examine the security of US government-affiliated civilians in Iraq.
The commission, according to Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh, is part of efforts to defuse a crisis sparked when Blackwater guards escorting US embassy officials opened fire in a Baghdad neighbourhood on Sunday, killing 10 people and wounding 13.
“This crime has generated a lot of hatred in the government and the people against Blackwater,” Maliki told reporters. “For their own interests, the Americans should hire a new company to protect their people so they can move freely.”
The US embassy in Baghdad has barred its officials from travelling by land outside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone amid fears of attacks after the shootout.
“This is a big crime and the seventh such crime committed by this company and which has been registered by the interior ministry,” Maliki said.
“This company should be punished. We are not going to allow it to kill Iraqis in cold blood. We have frozen all its activities and a joint panel has been formed to investigate the incident.”
US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Wednesday the commission of inquiry's goal “is to make joint policy recommendations, including specific suggestions for improving US and Iraqi procedures regarding government-affiliated personal security details.”
It would also receive the findings of a US review of Sunday's shootings, which erupted after a bomb exploded near a US diplomatic convoy which the Blackwater guards were escorting.
The US government incident report said armed insurgents fired on the convoy and Blackwater guards responded.
The Iraqi government said on Monday it had revoked the licence of Blackwater, one of the biggest private security firms operating in Iraq, and a top judge said it could also face trial over the incident.
Blackwater said its contractors “acted lawfully and appropriately in response to a hostile attack.”
US President George W. Bush is “concerned” about the controversy, the White House said Wednesday.
At the same time, Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino appeared to reject Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's forceful calls to replace the company, repeatedly insisting that civilian US workers in Iraq “need protection.”
Asked about Bush's reaction Perino replied: “Obviously he said he was concerned.”
“He was glad that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Prime Minister Maliki to express the deep regret for the innocent loss of life. He wants there to be an investigation — an open, transparent, clear investigation,” she said.
Perino was keen to stress US-Iraqi cooperation on the matter, noting the creation of a joint commission to gather the facts about the incident and “to recommend any sort of policy changes that need to made in the future.”
But she said it was “premature” to say whether that could include pulling the firm out of war-torn Iraq, where its employees often protect US diplomats and other civilian workers.
“We are in a very dangerous situation over there, and civilians who are working for either the State Department or other agencies need protection,” said Perino. “This is one of the companies that provides protection.”
Government spokesman Dabbagh told AFP that the joint panel would attempt to thrash out a compromise that would allow Blackwater to continue its operations in Iraq.
“We understand that this company is giving security to embassy staff so we don't want to revoke their licence permanently,” he said.
“We want them to operate within the laws of Iraq. They used effective fire against civilians and we don't want this to happen again. We will decide the course of action to be taken” in talks with US officials.
US officials have ordered embassy staff and other personnel to remain in the confines of the sprawling Green Zone in the heart of Baghdad.
“Yesterday and today there has been no movement out of the Baghdad zone,” said Miremebe Nantongo, US embassy spokeswoman. “All chiefs of mission are restricted to the International Zone.”
She said the lockdown had “significantly impacted on our operations but we're revisiting the matter on a daily basis. Hopefully we will move beyond this fairly soon.
“We are working very closely with our Iraqi counterparts to find a solution to this problem, which has come up in the past.
