Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-al-Maliki lashed out on Sunday at U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton who had called for him to be replaced.
In a sign of increased tension between him and Washington, al-Maliki also criticized the U.S. military for killing civilians.
"There are American officials who consider Iraq as if it were one of their villages, for example Hillary Clinton and Carl Levin," al-Maliki told a news conference.
"This is severe interference in our domestic affairs. Carl Levin and Hillary Clinton are from the Democratic Party and they must demonstrate democracy," he said. "I ask them to come to their senses and to talk in a respectful way about Iraq."
Clinton, a leading candidate to succeed George W. Bush as president, joined Levin, the head of the Senate's Armed Services Committee, in calling last week for Iraq's parliament to replace al-Maliki for failing to reconcile warring sects.
Al-Maliki criticized the U.S. military for killing civilians during raids in Shiite areas of Baghdad, which have provoked demonstrations by mourners and condemnation from Shiite groups.
"We have said this many times before. When you want to arrest someone it is not acceptable to go there and kill another 10 innocent people or destroy houses. These are violations."
Dip in relations
Washington's relations with al-Maliki have frayed in recent weeks, although Bush says he backs him.
On Tuesday the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, called al-Maliki's government's progress "extremely disappointing." But the following day Bush said: "Prime Minister Maliki is a good guy, a good man, with a difficult job and I support him."
U.S. policy toward Iraq could reach a turning point when Crocker and the U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, give a progress report.
U.S. officials say security is improving somewhat after they dispatched 30,000 extra troops this year, but political reconciliation has stalled. Democrats, and some Republicans, want Bush to begin withdrawing troops soon.
Al-Maliki did hint at a positive political step, saying the Sunni Arab Islamic Party would join leading Shiite and Kurdish parties who agreed last week to work together to support a national unity government. The Islamic Party denied this.