Edwards calls Iraqi leader weak

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said Saturday the U.S. needs help from Syria and Iran in stabilizing Iraq and he called the Iraqi prime minister a weak leader.

Edwards again said that if he were president today, he would immediately draw reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq by about 50,000.

"The Iraqis are going to have to take responsibility, and they haven't," he told about 200 people at a town hall-style meeting in eastern Iowa.

The prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, says his country's army and police are capable of keeping security and that American troops can leave "any time they want."

Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, told reporters that the U.S. "should be making our own evaluation about the circumstances in Iraq" and that al-Maliki has not proved effective in stopping violence.

"The Sunni leadership is very fragmented, al-Maliki is a weak leader, and there's been very little progress made to reach a fundamental political comprise, which is the whole issue," he said. "If that were to occur, there would be a much higher chance of stability in Iraq."

Other countries in the region, including U.S. foes Iran and Syria, must become involved in Iraq's future, Edwards said. "We need to engage them directly into helping to stabilize Iraq," he said.

Later Saturday, Edwards joined Democratic rivals Joe Biden and Barack Obama at a workshop in Peosta. He told the hundreds of Democrats there that he thinks everyone in the United States should take part in volunteer work.

"The power in America, the capacity to change this country is out here," he said pointing to the crowd, "It's not just in the Oval Office."

Edwards said he has not decided whether such service should be volunteer or mandatory. "I think all of us are going to have to take ownership and responsibility for what needs to be done in this country," he said.

Edwards is on a three-day campaign swing through Iowa that began Thursday.

(This version CORRECTS `included' to `including' in the 7th paragraph.)

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070714/ap_on_el_pr/edwards_iraq [link]