CAMP VICTORY: US Vice President Joe Biden marked Independence Day with American troops at a palace of ex-dictator Saddam Hussein on Sunday ahead of talks with the two men vying to lead Iraq’s next government.
Speaking to soldiers in the rotunda of Al-Fao Palace, a jewel in the era of the ousted Iraqi president that is now part of US military base Camp Victory, just north of Baghdad, an upbeat Biden relished the symbolism.
"Here we are in the hunting lodge of a dictator who subjugated a people, who in fact stood for everything that we don’t stand for. And we are in the middle of the marble palace, making a lie of everything that he stood for," he said.
"I find it delicious that that’s happening," he said to loud applause from the crowd of around 600 military personnel.
The US commander in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, hosting the event, paid tribute to troops who were about to be sworn-in as American citizens, describing them as "the best, the brightest and the bravest."
Taking part in the celebration for a second year in a row, Biden and his wife Jill stood before a giant Stars and Stripes, with hands on hearts, as the national anthem was played by a military band.
Biden, who also visited Baghdad in January, thanked Odierno and the soldiers around him for his "extraordinary service."
The vice president then spoke at the naturalisation ceremony at which 156 US military personnel took the oath of allegiance.
He thanked the new citizens, from 56 countries ranging from "Brazil to South Korea and many in between … for choosing us, for choosing America."
Biden also said Washington was keeping its promise to bring the troops home. "On August 31, we will go from 140,000 from the day I was sworn in as vice president to 50,000," he said before eating lunch with soldiers.
However, a senior US administration official travelling with the vice president earlier told reporters that Washington’s commitment to Baghdad would not vanish overnight.
"We are not flipping a light switch on August 31st," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"The transition that is taking place, moving from a combat mission to basically stability operations, … that’s a process that started, actually, a year ago," he said, referring to the US troop pullout from Iraqi cities.
Biden said on his arrival on Saturday he was "extremely optimistic" that Iraq’s politicians could resolve their differences despite a four-month impasse since a deadlocked general election.
The vice president met with Iyad Allawi, a former prime minister who narrowly beat incumbent premier Nuri al-Maliki into second place in the March 7 election which has yet to usher in a new government.
He was then expected to hold talks with Maliki ahead of a meeting on Monday with President Jalal Talabani.
Allawi, a Shiite, insists as the election’s victor that he has the right to become prime minister, especially as his Iraqiya coalition had strong backing in Sunni-dominated provinces.
The senior administration official said Biden was in Baghdad "to listen to the Iraqis, to get a sense from them of where they are and where they think things are going.
"We don’t have a slate of candidates, we don’t have favourites. This is up to the Iraqis," he stressed, while reiterating US support for "an inclusive government that brings in all of the major players."
On Saturday, three US senators, John McCain, Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham, met in Baghdad with the two rivals and urged Iraqi leaders to act faster to form a coalition. They flew out of Iraq later the same day.
The refusal of Maliki or Allawi to bow out has alarmed Washington which is steadily reducing its military presence in the country seven years after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam.
Biden in remarks to reporters on Saturday expressed confidence that the impasse can be resolved.
"This is not a lot different than any other government," he said, adding that "the parties are all talking. I remain extremely optimistic about a government being formed here that will be representative."
