US President George W. Bush said Sunday that the formation of Iraq's new government will serve as a "devastating defeat" for al Qaeda, but the US' top diplomat warned sectarian violence remains a major problem in the country.
"I fully understand that a free Iraq will be an important ally on the war on terror, will serve as a devastating defeat for the terrorists and al Qaeda and will serve as an example for others in the region who desire to be free," Bush told reporters at the White House.
Bush said he had spoken Sunday by telephone with Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, new prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, and parliament speaker, Mahmud Mashhadani, to congratulate them on forming a new "unity government" Saturday.
But, speaking a day after a new government was sworn in Baghdad without naming the key ministers of interior and security, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that sectarian violence remains "a major problem" for the war-torn state.
Maliki's inability to fill the key interior and security portfolios in his new cabinet remains a challenge to the new Iraqi government's ability to address the ongoing violence across the country, according to some political observers.
However, president Bush remained upbeat Sunday.
"I assured them that the United States will continue to assist the Iraqis in the formation of a free country," Bush said of his telephone conversations with Iraq's new leadership.
"The formation of the unity government in Iraq ... begins a new chapter in our relationship with Iraq," Bush said.
Persistent wrangling between Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish politicians have forced further negotiations on the two unfilled posts which will largely determine how Iraq addresses its security problems. The unrest continued in Iraq Sunday as the new government held its first meetings, with at least 20 people killed, 13 of them in a Baghdad restaurant bombing.
Another 18 people were wounded when the blast ripped through a crowded diner in the upmarket Karrada district, highlighting the importance of Maliki's plans for a special security force for the capital.
Asked about media reports claiming that sectarian violence has left several thousand Iraqis dead so far this year, Rice acknowledged "It's a major problem for Iraq. There's no doubt about it."
"We really need to give this government a chance, and we need to recognise that with the very difficult things that they are trying to do, they are making extraordinary progress," Rice told Fox News Sunday. Rice praised Maliki as demonstrating focus and resolve in his job.
"This is a strong leader. I've met him. I've looked into his eyes. This is somebody who is determined to do what is right for the Iraqi people." She insisted that in recent meetings in Iraq with Maliki, "he focused on the need to re-establish confidence with the police, to re-establish confidence in the ability of the government to deal with this (violence)."
"I note that Prime Minister Maliki said in comments even today that he's determined to use the maximum force to stop the terrorism and the violence against the Iraqi people."
"Let's give them three or four days, five or six days to come up with the best interior ministry," she added.